Endless Dream
by WarGoddesses
Summary: [COMPLETE] The peace is shattered once again, but help is quick to arrive. Romance, angst, betrayal & all that good stuff.
1. The End of Peace

January 1, A.C. 196 -   
  
The war between the earth and the colonies finally comes to and end, marking the dawn of a new  
era for all of humankind.  
  
January 10, A.C. 196 -   
  
Preparations are already underway for a celebration gala at which the treaty will be signed.  
  
February 3, A.C. 196 -   
  
One week prior to the event, a small importing company in China is blown up. It is later  
discovered that this act was a terrorist attack, most likely a result of the tension that is still  
lingering after the war. The signing of the treaty is postponed until further notice so that the  
incident can be investigated.  
  
February 20, A.C. 196 -   
  
Despite efforts to keep the news of the attack quiet, word spreads quickly and the lingering  
tensions rise. Not long afterward, independent businesses are hiring mercenaries to attack their  
rivals on the colonies. Enraged, the people from the colonies attack businesses on earth in the  
same manner, thus creating another war, only this one is fought only by the hired mercenaries.  
  
March 4, A.C. 196 -   
  
Queen Relena Peacecraft addresses the people of earth, begging for them to refrain from any  
further retaliation in hopes that some kind of agreement can be reached. However, her attempts  
were futile and the feuds continued on, preventing the finalization of the treaty.  
  
June 13, A.C. 198 -   
  
The treaty has been put on hold until some control can be maintained. During this time, Relena  
Peacecraft travels the earth, campaigning for peace once more. By this time, the mercenaries  
have grown rich and gained incredible power and influence because of all the jobs that they have  
been receiving.  
  
July 20, A.C. 198 -   
  
Queen Peacecraft and the leaders of the colonies finally agree on a solution. They plan to hold a  
secret meeting at which the treaty will be signed and a new law will be passed to prevent the  
feuds from going on any longer.  
  
August 16, A.C. 198 -   
  
The day of the meeting has finally arrived. For protection, the former gundam pilots are hired to  
guard the premise.  
  
  
  
  
"Hikari, you there?"  
  
The young girl stopped what she was doing and adjusted her headpiece, bringing the small  
microphone in front of her mouth. "Hai.." she whispered, " I'm here. What's wrong?"  
  
The first girl shook her head. "I just want to know what's taking you so long." she whispered  
back as she clenched her fists, eager to get moving.  
  
"It'll be a few more minutes," the girl at the laptop replied as she connected the last wire to the  
wires in the wall. "They have a new wiring system and it's taken me a while to figure this one  
out. I'm in now though. All I have to do is break into the mainframe."  
  
The other girl nodded and waited patiently.  
  
The girl at the laptop sighed. "Hoshi, why do I feel like we're the bad guys here?" she asked as  
her fingers raced across the keyboard.  
  
"Maybe because we're the ones breaking in?" Hoshi replied with a smile. "Don't worry, Hikari.   
We're the good guys in this."  
  
Hikari frowned. "Yeah, but what if Master U was wrong? We'd be taking the life of an  
innocent..."  
  
"Master U is never wrong!" Hoshi reassured her friend. "Don't worry, Kai. Everything will  
work out fine."  
  
Hikari gasped when she heard Hoshi use her nickname. "Hoshi! Someone could be listening!"  
  
Hoshi smiled. "You worry too much, Bek. Besides, if anyone was listening, they would have  
put a stop to us long ago. No one can find us, we're the best, remember?"  
  
Hikari smiled. Hoshi's confidence was the only thing that ever kept her going. Ever since they  
had received this mission, she had been losing sleep over it. What would happen if something  
went wrong? This mission was very important and they had to be very delicate with every  
detail.... not something that she was always good at.  
  
A few minutes later, the computer bleeped and the screen flashed. Hikari smiled. "I'm in." she  
said, "Stand clear."  
  
Hoshi nodded and smiled. "Sugoi! Now time for some action!" she stepped away from the door  
and took her gun into her hands. Only moments later, the door slid open on it's own and Hoshi  
stepped through cautiously. "All right, I'm in. I'll meet you at point D in ten minutes."  
  
Hikari nodded as she packed up her laptop and tossed the bag over her shoulder. "All right, see  
you there." She took the headset off and clipped it to the side of her bag then took off quietly and  
stealthily down the hall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Blue eyes focused as the young queen entered the room. The hushed conversation that filled the  
air stopped suddenly and all attention was turned to her. She nodded her head slightly and  
stepped in slowly.  
  
It was the slow part that tortured her. Part of her wanted to run ahead and get this done as soon  
as possible. They had all waited so long for peace, and finally, that dream would be possible  
with six simple signatures.  
  
The other part of her however wanted to drop everything and run away. She was so afraid. Here  
she was, at the young age of eighteen, the fate of the known universe resting on her shoulders.   
Being the representative of earth, people would be watching her. Looking for her to slip. All  
she had to do was say one wrong word and the war could happen all over again.  
  
She clasped her hands together, hoping to disguise her trembling, but it didn't help much. Fear,  
apprehension, joy and anticipation consumed her being and she felt as if she would explode.   
  
Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a table with five other men sitting around it.   
She was almost taken by surprise when Pagan pulled her chair out for her, catching her off  
guard.  
  
She smiled greatfully at the old man and took her seat at the table. She let her eyes scan the  
room and analyzed her surroundings. This was not at all how she expected it to be. The signing  
of the treaty was to be a grand event. There was to be a grand gala, open to the public for all to  
witness the exciting event. However, due to the disruptions from the past two years, they had to  
play it safe.   
  
The meeting was held in the basement of an old storage building. One would think that that  
would be the last place to have a meeting like this, but this building was once a high-security  
government office with an elite security system. Perfect for such an event.  
  
There were very few people present at the meeting. A delegate from each colony, along with  
their body guards, Relena and her butler, Pagan and the five guards, the retired Gundam Pilots.   
  
Relena smiled slightly as Hiiro met her gaze. What threw her off more was that he almost  
smiled back.  
  
The sound of a man clearing his throat interrupted her thoughts and brought her attention back to  
the meeting. She blushed slightly and smiled. "Good evening, gentlemen."   
  
The leaders bowed their heads respectfully and she continued. "First I would like to express my  
gratitude for your patience and tolerance during these last couple of years. They've been very  
hard for all of us, but we will not let them disrupt our chance at peace."  
  
She paused, a bit nervous until she saw the men all nodding their heads in agreement. She  
smiled as she felt her courage coming back. "Now, I know that most everything has been  
discussed, so let's move on to the matter of the attacks. How shall we go about stopping the  
mercenaries?" She folded her hands and waited for a response.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hoshi sighed as she looked down at her watch. 'Where are you, Hikari?' she thought to herself  
worriedly. They were running out of time. She was about to sit down when she felt something  
on her shoulder. Immediately, she turned around just as another hand was clamped over her  
mouth. She looked up to see Hikari, holding a finger over her lips.  
  
"Sorry I'm late." she whispered, taking her gun out of her bag. "I got lost."  
  
Hoshi shook her head. "Only you, Hikari. Only you..."  
  
"So?" Hikari asked in a hushed whisper, "What's happening?"  
  
Hoshi motioned to a hole in the floor which was actually a hole in the ceiling of the room where  
the meeting was taking place. Hikari looked down and frowned. "There are more people than  
we anticipated."  
  
Hoshi shook her head. "Don't worry. They're just guards. We can handle them. We've been  
specially trained for this."  
  
Hikari shook her head. "I hope you're right."  
  
"Ready?" Hoshi asked, kneeling next to the opening.  
  
Hikari nodded and cocked her gun. "As ready as I'll ever be." She looked down and spotted her  
target. Michael Peterson, the leader of the L3 colony just hired a new body guard because his  
was found dead just three days ago. Hikari aimed her gun at the body guard and looked towards  
her partner.  
  
Hoshi nodded.  
  
Hikari spotted a smirk on her target's face as he pulled something shiny from his coat pocket.   
This was it. It's now or never. She pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying towards his  
hands, knocking the gun down as he cried out in pain.  
  
Hoshi then jumped down into the room and gave the man a hard kick in the stomach, knocking  
him down to the floor.  
  
That instant, the five guards and five remaining body guards pulled out their guns, aiming them  
at Hoshi who just stood there and smirked.  
  
Relena's eyes widened at the scene. "What's going on here?!"  
  
Hoshi took a step towards the queen but stopped when the sound of guns clicking surrounded  
her. She raised her hands in the air as the Chinese guard approached her.  
  
"State your name and business, onna!" he barked angrily.  
  
Hoshi smirked. "I am an ally. That's all you need to know."  
  
The chinese man scowled. "Answer me, onna!"  
  
Hoshi just narrowed her eyes. "Iie."  
  
The man growled and raised his gun at Hoshi.  
  
"Wufei!" the blonde guard shouted, "NO!"  
  
'Oh well,' Hikari thought, 'It's now or never.' she jumped into the room, accidentally landing on  
the blonde guard.  
  
"All right, Quatre!" the braided guard shouted.  
  
Quatre turned bright red, so did Hikari, but she wasted no time in getting up and pointing her gun  
at him. "Don't move! We're not here to hurt you!"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Relena shouted as she stood up, slamming her hands against the table.  
All eyes turned to her and the room fell silent. "You will stop this nonsense immediately!"  
  
"Forgive us, your highness, but we tell the truth when we say that we are on your side." Hikari  
said quietly.  
  
Relena narrowed her eyes. "How am I to trust you when you just nearly killed this man?"  
  
"He was a traitor!" Hoshi shouted, ignoring the glare that she received from Wufei. "He was  
going to kill you!"  
  
"Nonsense!" the man shouted, "I saw you two and pulled out my gun to protect everyone else  
here!"  
  
Hikari opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself when she heard a beeping sound  
from her computer. She looked over to Hoshi, who nodded.  
  
With a mighty kick, Hoshi sent Wufei flying backwards and ran towards the door, fighting off  
the other guards on her way.  
  
Hikari used the moment of confusion to knock Quatre's feet from under him and take off running  
in Hoshi's direction. "Let's go!" she shouted, dodging bullets.  
  
Hoshi smirked and held up a small vial, smashing it on the ground. It caused a large cloud of  
smoke that choked everyone in the room for a few moments, allowing the girls just enough time  
to escape.  
  
Hoshi and Hikari ran and ran until they finally made it outside where there were two large  
machines waiting for them. Hikari looked up and saw a fleet of Aries flying overhead.  
  
Hoshi grinned. "Let the fun begin." 


	2. And So it Begins.....

Author's Notes: Yay! The second chapter to Endless Dream! GOldenGoddes wrote this one and guys..it ROCKS!!!!!! Enjoy!!!! ^^v  
  
  
  
  
Hoshi smirked as she looked up at the machine before her, StarsFury. Her Gundam. Smiling faintly she shut her eyes, not exactly a smart move, when about to fight but… Hikari and her Gundam, they were the only things that understood her, and the only things that mattered in her life anymore, even though she would never admit it to Hikari herself. Perhaps that's what made them so dangerous, her and Hikari. Two warriors with nothing in there lives left to loose, and two girls that loved and lived for the rush of battle.  
  
"Hoshi, be careful out there, don't do anything stupid."  
  
Hoshi opened her eyes and casting a quick glance at the concerned face of her only friend, and smirked.  
  
"Me, do something stupid? Hikari, what do you take me for?" In one swift motion, she jumped up to the cockpit of StarsFury and shut the door behind her.  
  
Hikari sighed and ran up to her own Gundam, Kaikou, and shut the door behind her. "That's what I'm afraid of Hoshi," She murmured, booting up her Gundam. She and Hoshi were so different, everything about them. They were like day and night, light and dark, nothing about them was the same…except that fact that they were all the other one had. Best friends as well as allies, there wasn't another person that Hikari would trust her life to, and she knew that Hoshi felt the same way. 'You'd better be careful Hoshi' thought Hikari, 'Because I won't always be able to get you out of the trouble you get yourself into.'  
  
"Communications open, weapons online." Her fingers flew over the control panel, her eyes locking on the screen before her eyes as Hoshi's face came on. "Ready Hoshi?"  
  
"Defenses ready, all systems go!" Hoshi smirked into the communications. "Lets go kick some Mobile Suit ass, Hikari!"   
  
  
  
"What the hell is going on!?" Duo looked at the screen, his eyes displaying his shock and disbelief and for once in his life, the great Shinigami found himself speechless.  
  
Quatre stood there pale and in shock. "Those…those are Mobile Suits…and they're fighting Gundams!"  
  
Two mobile suits, one black and gold, the other, blue and silver, stood there, fighting off the attacking mobile suits with such speed and accuracy, it was incredible.  
  
It was beyond human.  
  
Relena stood there, silent and in faint shock. Just when they were so close to peace, to finally signing the treaty, an attack had broken out, involving Gundams.   
  
'Is this a curse of a blessing' thought Relena bitterly. 'That the Gundams are once again needed to save us.'  
  
Wufei stared at the screen displaying the battle, his arms crossed and his dark eyes narrowed as he watched it, but he said nothing.  
  
"Weren't, all of the mobile suits and Gundams destroyed after the Mari Maya incident?" questioned Relena.  
  
"Well, I don't know about you Relena, demo those two Mobile suits sure as hell look like Gundams to me! Then again, that is just my opinion." Duo turned away from the screen, his indigo eyes staring at everyone else in the room. "What I want to know is, how come they have Gundams, while my buddy Deathscythe is sitting in a junk heap somewhere gathering dust! And WHY there are any Gundams around in the first place?!?!"  
  
Trowa turned away from the screen, his one visible green eye blazing as he looked at Duo. "Now is not the time to be thinking about the Gundams, Duo."  
  
He threw up his arms, exasperated. "Trowa! There are two damn unknown Gundams fighting right outside!!! If this isn't a time to think about the Gundams, what the hell is!?'  
  
Wufei tuned them out, not an easy thing to accomplish, when you think about it. His fists clenched unwillingly, as he stared at the battle before him. Secretly yearning and wishing that he was in one of those two unknown Gundams, fighting and experiencing the lust of battle.   
  
His eyes narrowed. Why wasn't it him!? He had every right to fight! He snorted; it had been Yui himself, who had told him that there was no longer a need to fight. The weakling!  
  
'I should have never listened to Yui. I should have kept fighting, until I rid the world of all evil. Then it could be me out there, in Nataku.' His eyes locked with Quatre, but his comrade was lost deep within his own thoughts.  
  
'Is all of it for nothing, the battles, the losses, the hopes the dreams. Was peace achieved only to be shattered less than two years later?' Quatre shut his eyes and looked away from the screen displaying the battle, finding himself unable to watch anymore, for the pain in his heart had grown too much. Had more soldiers like him been created? Were there people, who had been forced to grow up in the heat of battle, forced to make all the sacrifices necessary of a soldier, piloting those very Gundams outside?  
  
'Are the Soldiers within those Gundams…like myself? Will all they ever know is the battlefield. My dear Sandrock, it should be you and me out there, so no one else has to become what we are. No more soldiers like myself should be needed.'  
  
Quatre's eyes rose and met with the silently furious ones of Wufei, a silent understanding passing between the two blood stained soldiers, until Duo's voice snapped them out of it.  
  
"One of the Gundams! It's been hit!"   
  
  
  
Hoshi's eyes grew wide with fear. It was part of her outer exterior, nothing could scare her, she was fearless, and she would do anything you asked her to. Nothing could scare her.  
  
She was terrified.  
  
"Hikari! Damnit! Hikari! Speak to me! Kuso!" Her fingers flew, commanding her Gundam to swing its double-sided beam saber at the attacking Mobile Suits, defending the falling one.  
  
'Damnit Hikari! Don't you dare die on me! You can't! I'm supposed to be the stupid one! You can't leave me. Don't do this to me! Hikari!'  
  
A soft groan escaped Hikari's lips as she looked around at her darkened Gundam. 'Baka' she thought acidly. 'You knew that if you continued to take risks, something like this would happen. Baka.' Moving a finger, she lightly tapped the communication keys.  
  
"Hoshi?"  
  
The communications buzz snapped Hoshi's head up, there was no image on it, but it was Hikari's voice.  
  
"Hikari! Damnit! Are you alright?"  
  
"Hai, I think I'm fine demo-"  
  
"Good, because OMAE WA KOURSO you baka! You almost gave me a heart attack!"  
  
Hikari smiled faintly at her friend's reaction. How many times had the situation been reversed? "Demo, I think that Kaikou is damaged badly. We need to get out of here, the damage has been done." She smiled brightly, even though Hoshi couldn't see her, it was a habit. "Retreat today, to live and fight another day!"  
  
"…Only you Hikari.only you…. I'll get us out of here. Activating solar flare!"  
  
A blinding flash lit up the battle area, shorting out all of the remaining Mobile Suits for a brief time period and when it cleared, the two unknown Gundams were gone.   
  
  
  
"What do you mean that the Gundams are back!?"?  
  
The man stuttered, staring at the other man before him. "I-I don't know sir, two unidentified Gundams a-appeared on the battle field and-"  
  
He never got to finish the sentence as his lifeless body dropped to the ground, eyes opened wide and forever frozen with surprise.  
  
The other man snorted, tossing the still smoking gun to another man frozen in the corner in shock and fear. "Clean that up!" He barked out, his voice loud and furious as he swiftly walked out of the room.  
  
'So, the Gundams are back.' He thought musingly, leaning against a window frame, looking at the labor site of his business. 'We've entered another level of the game. Who will win…' An insane smile spread across his face, as a machine backfired and a man was engulfed in flame.   
  
  
  
"Your crazy Hikari! I can't believe you would do something as crazy and insane as that! I mean you jumped in front of a damn missile. A MISSLE! Okay, I could understand if it was me, demo, YOU! I mean! If you were killed then..What would I do!? Did you ever stop to consider that?! I mean-"  
  
Hikari couldn't help but smile faintly as she watched Hoshi pace back and forth in their small apartment, continuing to rant.   
  
'I'd better stop her before she wears a hole in the floor'  
  
"Hoshi! It's all right! Look I'm fine, see!" Attempting to smile brightly, she stood up and spun around, showing that she was fine. "See?"  
  
Hoshi glared, but collapsed on the couch wearily. "I know Hikari…demo..If anything happened to you..I wouldn't have anyone left and…. and…I don't think I could…I just couldn't-"  
  
Hikari turned around and stared at her friend, the weariness showing in both of their eyes.  
  
'It will never end, both of us need to feel the adrenaline rush of the battle field but, at the same time, all we wish for is peace. Sighing softly, she kneeled down next to her only friend, hugging her tightly. "Hoshi, lets make a promise, here and now…that we'll never leave on another, that we'll always be there for each other. I promise, I won't leave you like the rest of your family did, if you promise me that you'll never leave me…alright?" Her eyes locked with her friends, shining with truth and hope.   
  
Hoshi smiles and shook Hikari's hand. "It's a deal Hikari, although you know I'd never leave you! I'm too smart to do something stupid like you did on the battle field today!"  
  
Not all of her training, of the knowledge of war, could prevent Hoshi from getting hit by the pillow that flew to her head.  
  
"Itai! Hikari! What was that for?"  
  
"What do you think? I lost count of all the times you did something stupid!!"  
  
" Well, maybe if you didn't keep getting lost in the middle of the battle field…."  
  
"Nani! Hoshi! You're dead!" Grabbing another random pillow, she hurled it at Hoshi, who ducked and grabbed a different one, laughing and flinging it towards Hikari.  
  
"Are you two done playing around now?" Master U's face shimmered to life on the vid-phone.  
  
Hoshi and Hikari stopped laughing, and stood up. "Gomen nasi Master U…we just- were celebrating?" Suggested Hoshi, staring at the screen.  
  
Master U scowled. "Never mind that, you two have a new mission."  
  
Hikari's eyes grew wide, staring in surprise. "Really? What is it?"  
  
"It is believed that the Preventers base has been infiltrated by spies, they are gathering information and plotting against Relena Peacecraft. Your mission, is to join the Preventers, and get rid of these spies, by any means necessary."   
  
  
  
"Just when you thought life couldn't get any weirder…" Duo sighed and collapsed on the floor, braid a tangle of knots behind him. "Two weird girls show up, and one lands on top of Quartre, then two new Gundams show up and start fighting a army of Mobile suits, then both of them vanish!"  
  
"Duo! Get off of the floor!" Quartre turned down a hallway, face still cherry red after his comment. "We're at the Preventer headquarters, this is not the time to play around."  
  
"But Q-man! I don't want to!"  
  
Wufei scowled in disgust at the braided pilot. "Get up Maxwell! We're here on a mission! Stop acting like a braided baka!"  
  
Quartre sighed and shut his eyes, his mind wandering back to before, to the tenshi that he'd seen at the treaty signing.  
  
'Wait a minute!? Tenshi!? What am I thinking?' The area around him seemed to dim further, as he allowed himself to grow lost within his thoughts.  
  
'She was so different though, her eyes were so, innocent and yet held the knowledge of so much bloodshed. Could a tenshi like that have been piloting one of those Gundams? Is..Is it possible.' He shook his head, mentally scolding himself. 'Baka! You can't think about this! You're a former Gundam pilot! If you feel anything for anyone, you're putting his or her lives in danger! And I just met her! What am I thinking?'   
  
'But still..' another part of his mind argued. 'If she was piloting that gundam then.'  
  
'Iie! I don't feel anything for her!'  
  
'Then why are you thinking about her?'  
  
'Shut up!…What am I doing, arguing with myself?'  
  
Trowa looked down concerned at the younger boy. "Quartre? Are you alright?"  
  
Quartre snapped out of his inner thoughts and looked up at Trowa, inwardly in shock at the turn his own thoughts had taken. "H-hai Trowa. Gomen nasi, I'm fine, just thinking about the fight."  
  
Trowa seemed to believe this and nodded, walking on ahead.  
  
Wufei narrowed his eyes and mumbled "Weak."  
  
Duo looked up at Wufei, grinning wickedly. "You're just pissed off Wu-man, because that other girl beat the crap out of you."  
  
Wufei glared darkly at Duo. "DON'T CALL ME WU-MAN BAKA!" He roared out.  
  
Duo just grinned more and skipped on ahead.  
  
He narrowed his eyes. 'Winner may be weak demo, he wasn't a fool. He was a warrior, as much as he hated to admit it, and it wasn't like him to allow himself to zone out like he just did.  
  
'This is pathetic…I won't be a foolish as Winner, I'll stay ready and alert, in case that Onna shows up again and attacks- NANI! Nande Kuso am I thinking? I'm on alert for a weak, foolish, pathetic…beautiful onna. NANI!' Wufei mentally cursed himself, what was he thinking? 'She is just a weak onna! Who can fight…damnit, Maxwell was right. That onna did beat me…I won't let that mistake happen again.   
  
Wufei was snapped out of his thoughts by Sally Po's voice up ahead.   
  
"Congratulations you two, and welcome to the preventers."  
  
Duo stopped up ahead and his voice rang down the hallway. "Two new preventers. Well! Welcome to the..NANI! YOU!"  
  
Quartre's head snapped up. "Duo! Are you alright?" He took of down the hallway, with the others close behind.  
  
All of them froze.  
  
Standing next to Sally Po were two young women, both clad in Preventer uniforms.  
  
It was Trowa who spoke what everyone was thinking. "Hoshi and Hikari." Grabbing his gun he aimed it at them and clicked the safety off in the same motion. "If you value your lives, don't move."   
  
  
Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN!!! Doesn't GG ROCK?!?!?! Now review and I'll write the next chapter REAL soon! Send an questions/comments to GoldenGoddess( goddess_of_destiny2001@yahoo.com ) or PrincessVenus( v_babe4@yahoo.com )  



	3. Tension Rises

Authors' Notes:   
  
All righty, minna! Here's a new chapter(finally)! GG & I have been hard at work on this story and already have two more chapters just waiting to be posted, ^^v All you guys have to do is review. ^^v Please, please PLEASE let us know what you think! We THRIVE on feedback(and bishies ^^v)!!! Enjoy!   
  
  
  
  
The new girls' eyes widened. "What's going on?!" the taller one asked.   
  
"That's what I'd like to know!" Sally shouted, "Trowa?! What the hell are you doing?!?!"   
  
"These two are criminals." Trowa stated, his voice void of any emotion.   
  
"Criminals?!?!"   
  
"Woah! You mean you haven't heard of Hoshi and Hikari?!" Duo laughed, "These two are famous!"   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!!" one of the girls shouted.   
  
"They broke into Relena Peacecraft's treaty signing and shot at one of the guards!!!" Duo continued, ignoring her, "THEN they fought off a bunch of unknown mobile suits in GUNDAMS!!!"   
  
"We have to arrest them." Hiiro stated, monotonously.   
  
Sally shook her head. "No in is arresting anyone! These girls are not the Hoshi and Hikari that you speak of!" she glared at the confused young men, "Meet Musha Eien and Tensei Jiaino."   
  
Musha smirked at Wufei and Tensei just grinned. "Hajimemashite." she offered out her hand to the still shocked Quatre, ignoring Trowa's warning glare.   
  
Sally rolled her eyes. "Why do you guys suspect EVERYONE?!?! You probably just scared these girls half to death!!"   
  
"It's all right, Miss Po." Musha jumped in, "We don't scare easily."   
  
"Can I see your identification?" Wufei asked Musha calmly.   
  
Musha nodded her head, "Hai..." she reached into her pocket and produced her card.   
  
Wufei took it from her and examined it closely. Sure enough, Musha Eien was her real name, but still, he didn't trust her. He could have sworn that she was the same girl that he had fought.   
  
"You don't have to memorize it, you know....." Musha interrupted his thoughts.   
  
Wufei handed the card back to her and frowned slightly. "Gomen nasai...." he said a bit hesitantly, 'Why does she look so familiar?' he wondered to himself, 'Something's not connecting...'   
  
It took Quatre a moment to realize that Tensei was talking to him. He shook his head and smiled slightly. "Likewise." he shook her hand gently. 'Something isn't right.'   
  
"You can put your gun down, Trowa. Nothing is going to happen." Sally said bitterly. Trowa hesitantly put his gun away and said nothing.   
  
"Why did you join the Preventors?" Hiiro asked, his eyes locking with the two girls. He could sense their fear, their uncertainty. All he had to do was get one of them to say the wrong thing. Easy job.   
  
"We believe that peace should be maintained in order to ensure the success of the human race." Tensei spoke up, "Our society can't advance while we slaughter eachother."   
  
"How about the general well-being of the people?" Relena jumped in as she entered the room. "Isn't that a factor as well?"   
  
"Hai, Queen Relena. I never meant that is wasn't."   
  
"Relena? What are you doing here?" Sally questioned.   
  
"I actually came to discuss some things with you, but I guess you're all a bit preoccupied."   
  
"I was just about to assign these girls to their mentors." Sally said, shaking her head. She wanted this day to end.   
  
"Very well." Relena nodded and turned to leave. "Can I meet with you later?"   
  
"Hai." Sally mentally sighed as Relena left the room. She was tired and didn't feel like dealing with anything else. She turned to the others and looked them over. "I'm glad that you five showed up when you did." she half-lied. "Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, meet your new trainees."   
  
Duo's eyes went wide. "We're training the criminals?!?!"   
  
Musha narrowed her eyes, silently vowing to severely mame if not murder the braided baka.   
  
Sally glared at Duo, immediately shutting him up. "Duo, you are assigned to Musha. Trowa, you are assigned to Tensei."   
  
Trowa nodded, his one visible eye narrowing slightly as Duo crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, this should be interesting." he walked up to Musha and bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you, miss. You may call me Lord Shinigami."   
  
Musha was about to smack him hard on the head, but Wufei beat her to it. "BAKA!" he shouted, trying to hide his disappointment. He wanted to be the one to train her, although he didn't know why.   
  
Tensei stiffled a small giggle at the sight but stopped immediately when she found herself face to face with the one with the unibang.   
  
"Let's go." he said, none too enthusiastically.   
  
Tensei shot Musha a glance that clearly said, 'This is going to be a LONG day.' Musha nodded in understanding.   
  
"As for the rest of you." Sally began, "I have some exciting paperwork for you to work on.   
  
Quatre groaned as Duo jumped. "YATTA! I get out of paperwork!!!"   
  
"Yours," Sally answered Duo, "Will be saved for after your training this afternoon."   
  
Duo immediately stopped and frowned. "That is SOOOOO not fair!"   
  
Musha shook her head. 'I'm stuck with him?!?!?!'   
  
"All right," Sally said, "Let's get going!"   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Any word on the gundam pilots?"   
  
"Nothing definite yet, sir, but we have two suspects." one of the two young men answered.   
  
The older man turned his chair to face the men. They both stood straight, wearing Preventor uniforms. "And who might they be?"   
  
"Two new recruits." the second man answered, handing his boss two folders, "Musha Eien and Tensei Jiaino."   
  
A greying eyebrow raised as he read over the files. "Very well. Keep an eye on them. Now what of the treaty? Have you heard anything?"   
  
"Sally Po met with Relena Peacecraft this afternoon to discuss another meeting. It is to be held at the Preventor Headquarters at two AM, one week from today."   
  
"And who will be assigned for protection?"   
  
"The former gundam pilots, as well as the new recruits."   
  
"Really? Well make sure that you two are there one way or another. It's not yet time for the treaty to be signed."   
  
The two men bowed and turned to leave the room.   
  
"The time has not yet come...."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Hikari?" Hoshi shouted, stepping inside of the small appartment, "You here?"   
  
Hikari popped her head out from the kitchen, spatula in hand. "Hoshi! What took you so long?! It's seven-thirty!"   
  
Hoshi groaned as she walked into the kitchen. "That baka, Duo got us lost."   
  
"Lost? How?"   
  
"He was supposed to get me aquainted with the Preventor building. He wouldn't tell me why, but he said that I was going to need to know my way around.." she explained as she started making a salad, "Of course, it would help if HE knew his way around there..."   
  
Hikari shook her head. "That's messed up...."   
  
"Tell me about it. So how was your day with the hair guy?"   
  
Hikari giggled. "You mean Trowa? He's.... quiet. Doesn't talk much. We was showing me how to access the security controls from the computer room. Well, he more like watched me figure them out, but they were easy. All he did was sit there and observe."   
  
"Lucky... Duo doesn't shut up..."   
  
"Is that all you girls do? Complain?" Master U's face appeared once again on the vid-screen.   
  
Both girls turned to face the image. "Ossu, Master U!" Hikari said cheerfully.   
  
Master U scowled. "It's not time to play games! I want to know how your mission is coming along."   
  
Hoshi frowmed, silently vowing to murder that jerk one day. Why was he always so rude? "Fine, but it's only our first day."   
  
"Have you got any leads on the spies?"   
  
Hikari shook her head. "Not as of yet, but we spent the entirety of the day training. We haven't had much time to-"   
  
"Well hurry up with it! I didn't trtain you girls all those years for nothing! You should be head and shoulders above the rest, not even requiring training!"   
  
There was a thud, then the screen suddenly went black. Hikari looked curiously over at Hoshi.   
  
"Oops." was all Hoshi could say as she walked over to the computer and picked a smashed tomato up off of the floor. "Guess he doesn't like vegetables." she grinned wickedly, now unable to hold her laughter.   
  
"I hope he didn't see you throw it!!" Hikari laughed, "He'll kill you!"   
  
Hoshi shrugged, "Hey, we're the only ones that saw. It's two against one."   
  
"You're so bad!"   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"So what do you think of our new members? Do you think that they'll do well?" Lady Une asked as she sat at her desk.   
  
"Tensei seems to be well aquainted with our type of computer base." Trowa answered, his arms crossed over his chest and his one visible eye resting shut, "She's well equiped and should easily be prepared for the assignment."   
  
Lady Une nodded, then directed her gaze towards Duo. "How about Musha? Do you think that she'll be able to learn her way around here quickly?"   
  
Duo raised an arm behind his head and laughed nervously. "Yeah, She's already seen more of the base than I think anyone ever has."   
  
Lady Une narrowed her eyes slightly. "I don't think I want to know. Just make sure that these two are well trained before the meeting. We only have a few days and Kamisama only knows how much Hoshi and Hikari know about this. We can't let them interfere again, understood?"   
  
"Hai." Trowa replied quietly as Duo mock soluted and the two men left the room.   
  
Lady Une closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "I hope this works. We can't afford any more time..."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"See this?" Duo asked, pointing to a square shaped outline on the wall in one of the halls, "This is a backup gun supply." he punched the right side of the square and the front popped out, revealing a small compartment, insided held two small hand guns. "There's one square about every ten feet, so you shouldn't have a problem finding one."   
  
Musha stared in disbelief. 'These people are paranoid...' she thought to herself.   
  
"These are normally used for big emergencies, but you can pretty much use them for anything...like, say you needed to stop Hoshi and Hikari from breaking in!" Duo laughed.   
  
"Why would they break in here?" Musha asked, hiding her anger.   
  
"Oh....uhh..." Duo mentally cursed himself. He wasn't supposed to say anything about the meeting just yet. Relena wanted to make sure that they would be cut out for the job.   
  
"Well...that was just an example. Now, we have to make sure that you can open these babies. They're kinda tough, especially for chicks." he didn't happen to see the look of burning hatred on Musha's face. WIthout letting him finish, she punched another one of the boxes, sending the cover flying open.   
  
"Wow..." Duo said in shock, "How did you do that? NO ONE gets it on the first try!"   
  
"It was easy!" Musha smirked and thought, 'All I have to do is picture it as your face.'   
  
"Hmm.. well, all right! We'll probably get done early! Let's move on!!!"   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Are you done yet?" Tensei asked impatiently. "This thing is kinda itchy and it's going to mess up my hair!"   
  
Trowa said nothing, just continued typing. He was writing a program to see if she could break the code, but he, not being a very trusting person, decided that he should blindfold her to make sure that she didn't cheat.   
  
Tensei sighed. She wished that Trowa would say something, anything. Finally, she felt the blindfold over her eyes loosen. She blinked, adjusting to the light. Next, she found herself face to face with that solid expression.   
  
"Ready." was all he said as he stepped aside, allowing her to sit in front of the computer. "See if you can crack this program." he said monotonously, "You have three minutes."   
  
Tensei raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want me to-"   
  
"Starting now."   
  
"Eep!" she turned around and looked over at the screen, grinning as she read the characters. 'Easy..' she thought to herself, 'But why is he having me do this in the first place? What possible use could the Preventors have with a computer hacker?'   
  
Quickly, she typed away, not bothering to look behind her. She new that Trowa was watching. He infuriated her! He never told her anything, never answered her questions. He would give her her orders in five words or less, cross his arms and sit back, his eyes closed, yet he was always watching her.   
  
She smiled as the picture on the screen changed. "Ha! I did it!" she smiled triumphantly.   
  
Trowa said nothing, he just walked up next to her and pressed another buttong, bringin up a new screen. "Now for the next assignment."   
  
Tensei rolled her head back and groaned inwardly.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Miss Po, you called us?" Quatre asked politely as he and Wufei stepped into the room.   
  
Sally nodded. "Hai, I have an important assignment for the both of you." she answered as she gestured for them to sit down.   
  
"What is it, onna?" Wufei asked, crossing his arms, still not used to taking orders from a woman."   
  
Sally just glared. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that." she said as Quatre shook his head.   
  
"Anyway, I want you two to investigate these new gundam pilots. Who they really are and who made the gundams." she sat back slightly, "Hiiro Yui has been assigned to figure out who made that fleet of mobile suits that we saw the other day. We have got to shut this operation down before we have another war."   
  
"Can't you see that another war has already begun?!" Wufei demanded, "Every day now, there are four or five more incidents! They've got to be related, there's no way that they aren't!"   
  
Sally sighed, "You're right, but until we find out who exactly is behind this, each attack will be considered an isolated incident. We can't have the whole world in a panic! In the meantime, I want you two to get some information on Hoshi and Hikari. Use any means necessary to get this done before next week."   
  
"Hai." Both men nodded and left the room.   
  
Sally sighed. "We were so close..."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
The day was finally over, and Relena Peacecraft's duties had finally been finished. It was time to go home. As she stepped into her sitting room, she practically fell onto the couch, the weight that she bore on her shoulders pushing her down.   
  
Peace had always been her ultimate goal, the very reason that she existed, and they finally attained that peace only to have it shattered into a million pieces by one explosion. She sighed and closed her eyes. Memories of the last war still fresh in her mind.   
  
"History is much like an endless waltz," she remembered the confident grin that played on young Mari Maya's face, "The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever."   
  
Relena's gaze fixed on a pile of rubble outside which was once a clothing store. A single crystalline tear slid down her cheek. "Father.." she whispered, "I don't know what else to do...."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Hoshi sighed as she walked into her appartment, once again late. She silently vowed to butally kill that braided baka, even if it was the last thing that she did. "Hikari?" she called out, curious when she noticed that all the lights were off. She walked into the kitchen, but no one was there. She was about to leave the room when she noticed a note on the counter next to a glass and a bottle of asprin.   
  
Hoshi-   
  
Master U called with another mission. Don't worry, I covered for your absence, I told him that you were meditating(the asprin is for you, I assume that Duo gave you another headache). I shut off the vid-screen. Whatever you do, DO NOT turn it back on. If he sees you here, he'll get real pissed. See ya soon!   
  
~Hikari   
  
P.S. You can stop clenching your fists now. Your knuckles are turning white.   
  
Hoshi looked down at her hands which were indeed turning a ghostly white color. "OOooohhhh...Baka!" she shouted, throwing the paper into the trash. 'She's going to get herself hurt!!!' she paced back and forth in the room, a habit that she got every time she thought about something happening to Hikari. She was like a sister to her and she couldn't stand the thought of her only friend getting hurt.   
  
Finally fed-up with doing nothing, she took the asprin and pulled her coat back on. "Damn you, Hikari. There's NO way that I'm going to sit around here while you get all the fun."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Hikari's eyes narrowed in concentration as she typed away at her laptop. She was almost in... so close...."There!" she whispered happily as the doors into the Preventer's base opened for her.   
  
She quickly disconnected her laptop and put it back in her bag, then frowned when she saw the black wig and sunglasses with a note from Master U.   
  
"Wear this disguise. Don't get caught. These are night-vision sunglasses. Use them or be reprimanded. Don't let anyone catch you."   
  
Hikari grumbled as she pulled the short black wig over her golden locks and put the sunglasses on. 'Oh well.....' she thought to herself, 'At least it's not as bad as that stupid blindfold.'   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"I'm sorry that we have to do this so late, Wufei." Quarte apologized as he parked his car right outside of the Preventor base, "Something came up and I had some business to take care of."   
  
Wufei crossed his rams over his chest, "I'm not weak, Quatre. We have a job to do. Let's go do it."   
  
Quatre nodded and stepped out of the car, walking up towards the doors, Wufei following right behind him. "All we have to do," he said aloud, "is research these two pilots, Hoshi and Hikari. Tell you what, why don't you take Hoshi and I'll take Hikari? We can get the job done in half the time."   
  
Wufei just grunted, which Quatre knew meant yes. He knew that Wufei wasn't one to talk much, but ever since the incident with the mobile suits, he had closed himself off almost completely. He knew that this turn of events upset his Chinese comrade, knowing that there were battles being fought and he wasn't out there to feel the heat and power of the battlefield.   
  
Quatre, on the otherhand looked at it a bit differently. He wished that he were fighting, not because he enjoyed it, but because he felt pity for whoever was piloting those suits. He had seen more death and experienced more fear than he had ever imagined possible. He didn't want anyone else to have to experience the same horror as he had.   
  
Quatre shook his head and brought himself back to reality as he swiped his passcard across the security pad, then the two men stepped inside as the doors yielded to them.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"HOSHI?!?! What in Kamisama's name are you doing?!?!?!" Master U's voice screamed over the speakers.   
  
Hoshi mentally cursed herself for forgetting to turn off the vid-screen in her car. Why in hell did he have to install those in their cars anyway?!?! She was getting sick of this job, and fast. When they were training, Master U was nowhere this harsh, but now that the pressure was on, all he ever did was scream at them as if they were disobedient children, which they very well could have been, but she didn't care. All she cared about was her mission. It was all that she had to live for anyway.   
  
"Damnit, U! I almost swerved off of the road!" she shouted angrilly, knowing that she would soon regret her disrespect.   
  
Master U scowled. "I would be very angry about that comment had not your previous actions made me far angrier than this!" he shouted, "What the hell are you doing in your car?! Why aren't you with Hikari?!?!"   
  
Hoshi thought for a moment. She didn't want to tell him the truth, otherwise Hikari would be in deep crap. She cared for her friend and knew how badly she took harsh words.   
  
"We're taking care of it, U!" Hoshi shouted angrilly, eyes on the road, mainly because she didn't want Master U to sense her nervousness.   
  
"Where's Hikari?! What's happening with the mission?!"   
  
Hoshi narrowed her eyes, silently cursing the choice that she had to make. There was no way for her to find Hikari without Master U telling her where she would be. However, if she did that, Hikari would no doubtedly be reprimanded and yelled at for weeks to come.   
  
Hoshi sighed in defeat. 'Gomen ne, Hikari... I can't let you get yourself hurt.'   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Hikari grinned as she finally reached the computer room. Setting her laptop up, she got right to work. "All I have to do..." she whispered to herself as she booted up her computer, "is change some personal records and we're all set!"   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Quatre yawned as he and Wufei made their way down the halls of the Preventer base. It was late, and he had been working all day, still, he couldn't get his mind off of the mobile suits. "Hey, Wufei.." he said as a thought struck him.   
  
Wufei said nothing, but Quatre continued. "What about those two new girls? Musha Eien and Tensei Jiaino? Miss Tensei looks very familiar to me. I think that we should look up their records, see if we can find out where they were when all of this happened."   
  
Wufei grinned inwardly. One step closer to getting some answers. It made perfect sense! These two familiar looking girls showed up the very next day!   
  
"Ah. The computer room is rght down here.." Quatre said, turning a corner.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Hikari grinned as her computer finally connected to the mainframe. "Now.." she whispered to herself, "I know. Musha and Tensei were delayed. Their plane didn't arrive into the city until early that morning. That's our alibi." She typed away quickly, searching up the records.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
It took all of Hoshi's willpower not to screech the car to a halt when she finally reached the base. She jumped out, now wearing the long black wig and sunglasses that Master U bugged her about wearing. 'This is ridiculous...' she thought to herself as she went around the side of the building, using the secret enterance that Duo had told her about a couple days ago.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"What's that?" Wufei stopped as he heard something down the hall.   
  
Quatre glanced in the direction of where the sound came from. "I don't know. What's down there?"   
  
Wufei's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to go check it out. Go start looking for the files."   
  
Quatre nodded. "Hai.." he said as he approached the door.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Hikari froze. She heard voices. "Crap..." she quickly disconnected her computer and shoved it into her bag.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Wufei walked quickly and quietly down the hall when he finally saw a dark figure running towards him. "STOP!!" he shouted, taking his gun into his hands and raising it. "State your business!"   
  
Hoshi's eyes narrowed. 'Not now..' she groaned, 'I hope Hikari's all right.' "My business is none of your concern, baka!" she shouted defiantly.   
  
Wufei growled. "Do not insult me, onna!!" he shouted, the safety of his gun clicking off.   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Who are you?!?!" Quatre demanded as he stepped into the room, taking out his gun. "Don't move!"   
  
Hikari didn't listen to him. She knew that she had a little bit more time before he would even think of shooting. Quickly, she strapped her bag over her shoulder and crossed her arms. "I am Hikari."   
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
"My name is not Onna." Hoshi glared through her sunglasses, "It's Hoshi. Leave me alone and I won't hurt you."   
  
Wufei scowled. "Who's the one with the gun?"   
  
"The coward that's hiding behind it." she moved herself into a fighting stance.   
  
Wufei threw his gunn to the floor and moved into a fighting stance as well, "I am no coward. But YOU are weak."   
  
"We'll just see about that..."   
  
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Authors' notes: All right! Time to review!!! ONEGAI!! 


	4. Allies?

Authors' Notes: Here is yet another chapter of Endless Dream. Remember, the more you review, the quicker we post! Tensei is already working on chapter seven!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Quartre clicked the safety off of his gun, trying to stop his hands from trembling.   
  
'This isn't right, we shouldn't have to fight anymore' he thought, feeling the all to familiar weight of the gun within his grasp. 'We shouldn't have to kill anymore…'   
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Hikari watched him, her eyes unchanging as she stared and mentally cursed herself.   
  
'Baka na! You were careless, again! Damnit! Think, I can get out of this…somehow, there has to be a way out of this. Think!'  
  
He raised the gun a little more, his face an emotionless mask, which was very uncharacteristic of him, but this, was war, and emotions had no place in a war.  
  
"Answer my question!"  
  
"That is none of your concern pilot 04, but if you must know…we're here to grant your wish."  
  
His trembling hands nearly dropped the gun as her words rang out in the empty base.   
  
"Nani?"  
  
"We're here to relieve you of your duties as a Gundam Pilot, that's always what you wished for isn't it? To not have to fight anymore?"   
  
  
  
Hoshi smirked, waiting calmly. 'This is going to be easy' she thought. 'This baka has no idea what he's doing, or whom he's planning to fight.'  
  
"You're a fool onna….for trying to fight me….."  
  
"Who's the fool? The one who is fighting for a purpose…or the one that wants to fight merely for the lust of battle?"  
  
Wufei froze. 'Nani! What is this foolish onna talking about!' He narrowed his eyes. 'She'll pay….she doesn't know a thing about battle! To her, it's all a game!' Silently furious, he threw a fist towards her face.  
  
"I'm right aren't I? Honor, justice, they're all meaningless words to you!" Hoshi dodged and fought back as the sparring match grew in intensity, not one attack breaking through her defenses, this was after all, what she had been trained to do. "And you know I'm right! That's why you're silent!"  
  
"Baka ONNA!" Roared out Wufei, one of his fists breaking through her defenses, and connecting with her left arm. Hoshi slammed up against a wall.  
  
"Learn your place onna…give up."  
  
"Never."  
  
  
Quartre stood frozen. Thousands of people had tried to unnerve him, thousands had tried to break him, and some had almost succeeded. The zero system, Dorothory Catalonia, but despite it all, he'd always managed to pull through it, so how was it, that a single statement from a girl, seemed to bring all of his barriers crashing down.  
  
Hikari watched Quartre with a calm certainty. Her outer exterior was calm and certain, but inside she just wanted to cry out. She hated this part…. it was worse than the killing…when it was required to break someone's spirit. 'Gomen nasi I have to do this' she thought quietly to herself… 'That I have to break you're spirit…but I have no choice…. Hoshi and me have a mission. And millions of lives are at stake…. I'm sorry.'  
  
"It's what you always wanted. To not have to fight! To not have the blood of those you killed staining your hands!" Her voice rang out clear throughout the empty building. "You wished it was someone, anyone else! So you wouldn't carry the burden! You're a coward pilot 04! You don't want to fight so you won't have the guilt upon your soul and-"  
  
"You're wrong."  
  
Hikari froze and her eyes grew wide.  
  
Quartre looked up, his eyes locking with Tensei's, blazing with emotion. "You're wrong. I fight so no one else will have to share the burdens I experience. Hai, I feel guilt and hai, I wish I didn't have to fight demo. I would never wish these experiences upon someone else…no one. Not even you. I want fighting to end, not so I don't have to fight anymore…but so no more soldiers like myself need to be created."  
  
"…. Then, you're too late…. until we meet again, pilot 04." Hikari wrist moved ever so slightly.  
  
"Nani!" Quartre turned around, just in time to be consumed with smoke from a smoke bomb, so he didn't see Hikari turn to run, nor did he see the tears within her eyes.   
  
  
  
Wufei mentally cursed as yet another one of his attacks was blocked, and moved barely in time to catch a heel heading towards his face. He grunted, eyes narrowing.  
  
"Why don't' you just give up onna! War has already started! You're alone! What can you alone hope to accomplish?"  
  
How was it that this onna could fight so well! How was it possible! He looked up and locked eyes with Hoshis. She looked back, eyes displaying raw fury, and yet, underneath it all. And undying flame of sadness  
  
'He doesn't understand. How can he?' Hoshi thought bitterly. "Still…. he's a damn good fighter….' Kicking hard she managed to free her ankle and took another battle stance, as he did the same.   
  
"But I'm not alone…. the spirits of all those who have died on the battlefield. Or have shed blood to save innocents surround me. And help me. They cannot rest until war is removed from human existence…and neither can I. You will never understand that pilot 05.for you fight, merely to experience the lust of battle."  
  
Wufei froze and his eyes widened faintly.  
  
Smoke filled the hallway, where the pair stood and both of their forms were soon lost within the smoke.  
  
"It appears my partner has finished her mission 05, we'll have to see, whom is stronger, another time…"  
  
The smoke cleared, and when it did, only a shocked and furious Wufei remained, fists clenched and staring at the spot where Hoshi had last stood.  
  
****  
  
"You two are idiots!"  
  
Tensei sighed softly as master U continued to yell at scream at them, but her mind was elsewhere.   
  
"Gomen nasi Master U-sama" Musha spoke through clenched teeth. Her injured arm wrapped tightly in bandages." Gomen nasi for ever defying the all mighty master U-samas orders!"  
  
"Don't you dare talk to me that way Musha! You and Tensei are in enough crap already! I don't' know why I-"  
  
"Then why do you bother!!? You baka! Let us do what we were trained to do!!!!"  
  
"Musha! Restrain yourself and be quiet before I remove you from this mission!'  
  
"Iie! Master U! Onegai stop it!" Tensei spoke up for the first time, her voice ringing throughout the small apartment and succeeding in silencing the other two.  
  
"And what, do you have to say for yourself Tensei!" Master U spoke in a deadly quiet voice. "You lied to me, jeopardized the entire mission, nearly got yourself as well as Musha in danger! And you call yourself a soldier!"  
  
Musha stepped protectively in front of Tensei. "Listen to me.you bakay-"  
  
Tensei placed her hand on Musha's shoulder softly and shook her head. "Onegai Musha. Gomen nasi demo…I did this…and now, I'm prepared to take the fall…." She smiled faintly up at her long time best friend. "I was a fool, and even worse I got you hurt…" she trailed off.  
  
"Tensei.onegai.You don't have to face this alone…"  
  
Sighing softly, Tensei simply shook her head and stepped forward to look directly into the vidphone where Master U's face glared back at her. "Hai Master U…. I know, that there is no excuse for what I did…."  
  
Master U's voice shook with anger and frustration. "You are damn straight there is no excuse Tensei! You've been trained since birth for this, and yet you still do something as idiotic-"  
  
Moaning mentally, Master U's voice faded into the background, as Tensei became lost within her own thoughts.  
  
'This is my fault. What if I'd blown the entire mission.what if....what if Musha…Iie. I won't think like that? Musha is still here, probably getting ready to yell at me soon, for doing something stupid.' An image of a blond haired blue-eyed pilot flashed briefly throughout her mind, what was it he had said? '. I want fighting to end, not so I don't have to fight anymore…but so no more soldiers like myself need to be created' But, would the fighting ever truly end? 'What do I want? I'm a warrior that now, exists for the soul purpose to fight on the battlefield. Do I?' Tensei cast a quick glance at Musha who was wrapping more bandages around her injured arm. 'Do either of us, in our hearts, ever actually want the fighting to end?' She shook her head, now was not the time to think about this. Slowly, Master U's voice faded back in until she heard a single statement that bounced off the rubber walls of her mind.  
  
"Tensei, until further notice, you're removed from the mission."   
  
  
  
Duo looked from Quartre, to Wufei, to Quartre again. "YOU WHAT!!!"  
  
"You heard me Maxwell, Hoshi and Hikari broke in again last night…."  
  
"And, you just let them get away!!!! You're the one that's always saying that women are weak, and here you are, letting one get away!" Duo stared disbelieving at Wufei. "Am I missing something?!"  
  
"Maxwell…." Wufei growled out.  
  
Sally reached for the bottle of aspirin that she had recently, taken to keeping in her desk. This was not what she needed, or anyone else for that matter. Hoshi and Hikari were back, now, less than one day before the new signing was to be held!  
  
"Quartre, Wufei, did either of you find out what the purpose of their mission was? Or how they got in for that matter?"  
  
Quartre shook his head. "Iie, gomen Ms Po demo, they vanished before we got a chance to figure out exactly what their purpose was, and they did a very good job of covering their tracks.  
  
'Well, that's not a complete lie.' Quartre reflected quietly to himself. 'They did leave quickly, and they covered their tracks well but…' He shut his eyes briefly, as words rang out throughout his head. '….Then, you're too late….' His eyes opened swiftly, but seemed to be seeing nothing. 'I was too late.to late to prevent any more soldiers like myself from being created…her eyes. They were so sad…even with the sunglasses on. I could feel it…gomen nasi…' A part of him was filled with deep sorrow that, seemed to eat away at his very soul, all the while, another part of his heart was wondering why.  
  
'I don't understand. Why am I feeling this way?'  
  
Shaking her head, Sally fought back a cry of frustration. "How did they get in?"   
  
'This isn't fair.' The thought to herself acidly. 'We were so close to peace. So close. And now everything is coming down crashing around us. Is peace nothing more, than an endless dream?'  
  
"Okay, Q-man letting Hikari get away I can understand. She had had lots of time to prepare but Wu-man letting Hoshi get away? For crying out loud!" He threw up his arms exasperated. "She had just gotten there and you even FOUGHT with her! You're the one that's always going on about how women are weak, SO WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"  
  
"SHUT UP MAXWELL!" Roared out Wufei. "She snuck in using a secret entrance and then snuck out the same way when the smoke bomb was set off."  
  
"It appears we may have underestimated Hoshi and Hikari." Replied Trowa, opening one eye.  
  
"Underestimated whom? What did you baka's mess up this time?" Musha walked into the room, golden hair tied up in its usual style.  
  
Sally smiled faintly. 'At least there's one thing good that's coming out of all this…Musha and Tensei are learning….' Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she looked at Musha.  
  
It wasn't so much her appearance. Iie, she was clad in the preventors uniform like she always was but her eyes…they almost seemed darker, and her aura almost seemed to be radiating ice.   
  
She was alone.  
  
Duo blinked. "Hey! Musha! Where's your friend Tensei? Don't tell me working here was to much for her and…NANI!"  
  
Musha's right hand fist collided with the wall just next to Duo's left ear, her eyes murderous. "Don't' you dare talk about Tensei that way baka. She's ten times the warrior you are in a minute, than you are within your entire life time."  
  
Tension was so thick in the room that it seemed you could cut it with a knife. Every person in the room knew exactly where their guns were, and exactly how long it would take to grab it.  
  
Musha sighed and pulled her fist away. "Gomen nasi Duo-san." She turned and locked eyes with Sally, the strange aura of ice and danger gone, or at least suppressed. "I'm sorry demo, Tensei fell ill last night, and she can barely stand. I don't think she'll be able to come in for a while."  
  
Sally groaned. 'So much for things going well.'  
  
"Alright. Musha, the treating signing is tomorrow and the original plan was that you and Tensei would be there serving as bodyguards. It's to late to change the date…since it's just you now, more of a burden will be placed upon your shoulders."  
  
"I can handle it."  
  
'Well, at least Tensei is going to be safe throughout all of this.' Thought Musha quietly.  
  
"Alright then! Lets go!" Appearing to have already forgotten how Musha had almost punched him several minutes ago, Duo grabbed Musha's left arm, intent on dragging her outside.  
  
"Itai!"  
  
"Nani? Wha-" Duo pulled his hand away and gasped at the red substance that covered his hand. "Blood…Musha? Nani?"  
  
Wufei narrowed his eyes. 'That's the same spot where I managed to hit Hoshi last night.'  
  
"It's nothing." Replied Musha calmly. "I just tripped last night and my arm hit the wall, that's all."  
  
Wufei watched Duo and Musha walk out of the room. 'Something's not connecting.'  
  
***   
  
  
  
"He's crazy! There's no way, no way!"   
  
Tensei grabbed her laptop, making sure it was completely repaired and functioning at top ability.  
  
"There is no way I'm going to let Musha go to that signing alone! She's stupid and stupid people do stupid things!"  
  
Tensei ran around the room, it was the night of the treaty signing and Musha had already left to go there.  
  
"Musha.You are already hurt, why are you doing this!" But she already knew the response; it rang out clearly within her head.  
  
'It's my fault you're in so much trouble already Tensei. If I hadn't blown your cover, you'd still be on the mission with me.'  
  
'Baka Musha." She thought furiously. 'Stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault. It isn't..damnit! Don't get yourself killed! Something's going to happen tonight, I can feel it.'  
  
Turning, Tensei grabbed her black Trench coat off of her chair and headed out the door.  
  
"Screw Master U Musha…we're a team, and no one can change that.  
  
***  
  
"Report!"  
  
A man clad in a preventor uniform handed someone whose form was lost within the shadows a portfolio.  
  
"Only one trainee remains as a bodyguard for the signing tonight, the other one has dropped out."  
  
"So that leaves how many guards in total?"  
  
"The former gundam pilots, as well as Musha Eien."  
  
"Very well then." The portfolio was handed back. "Proceed with the attack."  
  
***  
  
Musha sighed softly to herself and looked around the area.  
  
'The word paranoid comes to mind.' She reflected to herself. 'The way these baka's are acting, you'd think that they were expecting a nuclear strike!' Her eyes saddened. 'Then again, Tensei, gomen nasi that I got you in so much trouble. You should have let me take the fall. It's my fault.'  
  
"Onna! Are you ready?"  
  
Musha's head shot up and she locked eyes with a silently furious Wufei's.  
  
'What is it with this baka! He's been watching me constantly since this morning! Argh!'  
  
"Hai. I'm fine baka, or I would be if you would just leave me alone!"   
  
  
  
"Something's never change ne? Everyone's here and it's all going according to plan! So all we need now are the Gundams to show up and this will be the exact same as last time!"  
  
"…"  
  
"Duo, shut up or Omae wa korusu."  
  
Quartre remained silent; his mind was once again elsewhere.  
  
"Geez, you guys can't take a joke."  
  
*****   
  
  
  
"Alright, we're here…." With a faint smirk upon her lips, Tensei peaked in at the meeting through a hole in the wall. "You think they'd learn their lesson about secret passages after the incident at the first signing!"  
  
Her eyes found Musha standing in a corner; it appeared she was arguing with Wufei. Her arm was still bandaged.  
  
'Gomen nasi Musha…. that you got hurt at my expense…I won't let anything happen to you…I won't loose you, like I lost everyone and everything else.'  
  
Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt however, as Relena Peacecratft entered the room.  
  
***  
  
The room fell silent and Relena Peacecraft once again, found herself trying to stop her trembling hands.  
  
'This isn't right; I shouldn't have to go through this again. No one should.'   
  
Taking a trembling sigh, Relena Peacecraft walked closer to the table where the representatives of the colonies sat.  
  
'I can do this…I can do this.'  
  
Everyone stopped cold as a gunshot rang through the building.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
All right now. The next chapter is a LONG one, so once we get more reviews, we'll post. ^^v 


	5. Turning Point

Author's Notes: All righty, time for a new chapter of Endless Dream! YAY!!!!! PLEASE review, or we'll cry. Oh, and to Mouser*, thank you for your helpful review. We will have better descriptions of Musha and Tensei soon. And well also work on lowering the Japanese. ^^v  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Musha's eyes widened as she scanned the room for the source of the shot. She didn't even notice when Relena Peacecraft fell to the floor.  
  
"Relena!" she heard Hiiro shout as he ran over and knelt beside her form.  
  
"EVERYBODY, GET DOWN!!!" Duo shouted, taking out his gun and making sure that each of the delegates were safely on the floor.  
  
"WHO SHOT THAT?!?!" Wufei demanded angrily.   
  
'Baka...' Musha thought, 'Like they're going to reveal themselves now.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hikari made her way carefully out of the room. She had to find whoever shot that gun. Luckily for her, she managed to spot a retreating figure. Taking off quickly, she chased after him, forgetting to take into consideration the fact that she too was an intruder.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Amidst all of the chaos, Trowa slipped out of the room, intent on capturing the assassin. That was when he spotted Hikari. He narrowed his eyes and started to run. 'I will not let you escape this time.' he thought.  
  
He heard her shout something. Why she would be shouting as she tried to escape was beyond him, but he couldn't worry about that now. He took out his gun and aimed it at Hikari. "STOP!!!! DON'T MOVE!!!!"  
  
'Kuso!' Tensei thought to herself as she ran faster, 'I'm such a baka!'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"MUSHA!!!" Wufei shouted angrily, "Get Sally Po!!! She's in her office!!!"  
  
Musha nodded, not happy with having to take orders from this baka, but she couldn't worry about that right now. Wordlessly, she ran out of the room just in time to see Trowa chasing Tensei. 'NANDE KUSO?!?!' her mind shouted, 'TENSEI?!?!?!' She had to stop Trowa somehow, and quick.   
  
"Matte!! Trowa!!"  
  
Trowa glanced over at her but didn't stop running, forcing Musha to follow him.   
  
"I have to get Sally Po! Relena's been shot, but I don't know where her office is!"  
  
"I'm kind of busy..." he trailed, still managing to sound calm as her pursued the intruder.  
  
"Demo, Miss Relena!!!!!"  
  
"Catch her, then!" Trowa shouted, pointing to Hikari as he turned down another hall to get Sally.  
  
The chase continued on for another moment, Tensei not knowing that it was now Musha who was behind her.   
  
Tensei ran outside just as the assassin jumped on a motorcycle and drove off into the night. "Shimatta!" she shouted, jumping as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked back to meet the furious eyes of Musha.  
  
"What are you doing here, Tensei?!?!" she demanded angrily, "Do you realize that you could have gotten hurt?!?!"  
  
"Same for you!" Tensei shouted back, "I was worried about you!"  
  
"You don't have to be. Now listen, they saw you and now everyone thinks that Hikari shot Relena Peacecraft. You're in huge trouble now. They sent me to apprehend you."  
  
"What do we do now then?" Tensei asked in disbelief at how she could have gotten herself in such a mess.  
  
"There's only one thing to do.." Musha said quietly, a hint of bitterness could be detected in her voice as she thought, 'I can't believe I'm going to do this....' She reached over and grabbed Hikari's gun, clicking off the safety as Hikari watched in disbelief.   
  
"What are you doing?!"  
  
Musha handed the gun to her friend and took a step back, "Shoot my arm, Tensei." she said monotonously.  
  
"WHAT??!?! NO!!!" Hikari protested.  
  
"Just do it!!! We have no other choice! It's the only way they'll believe that you got away!!!!"  
  
"Demo.. can't I just punch you???"  
  
Musha shook her head, "Everyone there knows that it takes more than a punch to stop me." she said, her gaze meeting with the gun, "Do it, Tensei."  
  
"I can't!!!"  
  
"DO IT!!!!!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sally and Trowa ran into the conference room to see Hiiro leaning over Relena's limp form, his expression betraying no emotion, yet inside he was filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.  
  
"What happened?!?!" Sally demanded as she knelt beside her fallen leader.  
  
"Someone shot her." Hiiro said, his voice still devoid of emotion.  
  
"Who?!?! How did this happen?!"  
  
"Just minutes after the incident, I saw Hikari running away." Trowa said, maintaining his cool disposition.  
  
Hiiro's eyes narrowed as he took out his gun, "Where is she now?"  
  
"Last I knew, Musha was chasing after her." Trowa answered calmly, "Towards the front exit."  
  
Hiiro just nodded and looked over to Wufei. "Chang, come with me."  
  
Wufei followed him wordlessly and the two left the room.  
  
"All right!" Sally shouted, "Duo, Quatre! You two make sure that each of the representatives get to safety! Trowa, help me get Relena to the hospital!"  
  
Duo and Quatre nodded, immediately gathering the delegates into a group.  
  
"We have to get her to a hospital immediately," Sally said to Trowa who knelt down and picked up the young world leader, "We don't have much time."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hiiro and Wufei ran quickly through the through the long corridors of the Preventers base until finally, they made it outside. There, they found Musha staggering over towards them, holding her bleeding arm.  
  
"Musha?!" Wufei shouted in disbelief. Even though she was a woman, he knew that she was very strong. He would never admit it to himself, but he knew that it was true. That was why he was so shocked to see her injured so badly.  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself face to face with the new recruit. Hardening his eyes, he looked over to her arm, silently wishing, for reasons beyond his own knowledge, that he could put his katana into whoever did this. "What happened?" the words came out as more of a command than a question.  
  
Musha's eyes narrowed angrily. "What do you think happened, baka?!" she replied bitterly.  
  
"Where is she?" Hiiro demanded, the safety of his gun clicking off.  
  
Musha's eyes widened as she heard that sound. It took all of her will power and then some to stay still knowing that the man standing just feet away from her wanted nothing more than and had every intention to of putting a bullet in her best friend.  
  
"She's headed north." Musha lied, trying her best to sound as if she was in more pain than she really was. In her training, she was taught how to withstand pain at excruciating levels. However, the bullet in her arm still hurt like hell and she couldn't wait to get it out of there.  
  
"She ran into the woods." Musha quickly snapped out of her trance and frowned, "It's dark, you'll never find-"  
  
Before she knew it, Hiiro was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hikari ran and ran, until finally, she collapsed from exhaustion. She lay there, in the middle of a field, panting. The only sound that could be heard were her quiet sobs. "I'm sorry, Musha...." she whispered, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.  
  
She wouldn't shoot her. She couldn't. So instead, Musha grabbed the gun and shot her arm herself, throwing the gun back into Hikari's hands and screaming at her to run. And that she did. She ran. And ran..... and ran...until she couldn't run anymore.  
  
"What have I done?" she whispered breathlessly to herself, staring up at the stars in disbelief. "I was so stupid. I should never have gone there."  
  
She wasn't sure how long she had been there. Maybe minutes, maybe hours. She didn't know anymore. All she knew was that she screwed up, and bad. She just lay there, staring up at the sky, until she finally welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wufei's eyes darted quickly to the girl sitting next to him, then back to the road. He could barely contain his anger, and it showed by the way that his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. Why was he mad? He wasn't sure. There were alot of reasons. He was too confused to even know. All he knew was that a terrible injustice took place tonight.  
  
Justice. He was still convincing himself that there was such a thing. He had never believed in it, not until Meiran opened his eyes. He had never seen justice himself, but his soul purpose was to see it one day. Meiran died in the hopes that one day, there would be justice. He would not let her die in vain.  
  
"You just passed it." a monotone voice said, suddenly bringing him out of his thoughts. He slammed his foot down on the break and turned to her angrily. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand, onna?!" he snapped.  
  
Musha shrugged and narrowed her eyes, "I thought you knew your way around here, baka!!!" she shouted, her face now turning an angry red, "And for your information, I have a name!!! It's Musha! Do you need me to spell it for you or is that too hard?!?!"  
  
Wufei growled and put the car into reverse, screeching back to the front of her apartment building. "We're here."  
  
Musha scowled as she opened her car door, slamming it hard behind her. Wufei just opened his door and followed her.  
  
"Why are you following me?!" Musha demanded, turning around.  
  
"My orders were to make sure that you make it home safely." he stated simply.  
  
"I'm home, all right?! It's not like something's going to happen to me on the elevator!!"  
  
"Well," Wufei crossed his arms over his chest, "Judging by your luck tonight, we can't be too careful, now can we?" He didn't really think that her own carelessness was responsible for her injury, but at that moment, she was, unfortunately the only one nearby to let out his frustration on.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, baka?!?!" she shouted, taking a step towards him, "You think that it's MY fault that I got shot?!?!" she felt kind of funny saying this, because not only was it her fault, but she was the one who actually shot the gun. No matter though, the story was that Hikari shot her, and that's what she was going to stick too. This baka had no right to insult her in such a way.  
  
"What I mean is that if something were to happen to you between here and your apartment, it would be my ass on the line!" he explained, trying desperately to maintain his civility which was slowly slipping away, "I'm just trying to do my job!"   
  
Musha growled and turned around, quickly stomping her way into the building. "If this is the only way to get rid of you, then fine!"  
  
Wufei said nothing, just followed silently. 'This onna will be my downfall...' he thought bitterly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre sighed as he slumped down on his sofa. He had finally finished seeing each of the colonies' representatives home. Sometimes he wished that he had retired early. The business would have ensured his comfort and he could just relax. No. That wasn't for him. There was something about working for the Preventers that he felt he needed. Maybe his sense of worth?  
  
It had been many years since he had first discovered that he was worth something. He had grown up believing that he was nothing more than a mass of chemicals created for the soul purpose of learning to one day run the Winner Corporation, but Rashid and the others helped him find that he was wrong.  
  
Maybe that was why Hikari's words struck him so? '.......Then you're too late.....' His mind played those words over and over again. Why did they upset him so much?   
  
Was it because he felt pity for these new soldiers who would be forced to watch friends and loved ones die before their very eyes, only to one day die without knowing true peace? Or was it something more. Sure, he felt pity, but did he also feel.... fear? Fear of being rejected, replaced? Hikari said herself that they had come to relieve him and the others of their duties. Could he ever accept that? Even though Sandrock was no more, could he ever go back to being just a normal person, living a normal life, existing only for himself?  
  
"In tonight's top story, a secret meeting was being held for the signing of the Universal Treaty when a gun was fired, injuring the young world leader, Miss Relena Peacecraft." Quatre's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the TV. Had he even turned it on? He wasn't sure.  
  
"The fugitive Hikari is suspected to be the offender as she was seen fleeing from the sight just minutes after the incident where she allegedly shot one of the Preventers, Musha Eien who was pursuing her. Musha Eien suffered only a gunshot to the arm and is expected to recover quickly, while Miss Relena Peacecraft's condition remains unknown. Authorities are taking heightened action in the search for the two young women who broke into a previous meeting, postponing the signing from last week. If you have any information about Hoshi or Hikari, we urge you to inform the Preventers immediately as-"  
  
Quatre clicked the TV off and sighed. He didn't want to hear any more. Everyone was certain that Hikari was the one who shot Relena, but somehow, he just didn't believe it. Judging by the ease at which they had penetrated their defenses so many times before, he knew that if they wanted Relena Peacecraft killed, she would have been dead long ago.  
  
The young Winner heir shook his head and stood up, stretching and yawning. It had been a long night, it was now time for some sleep, if that were even possible. Quatre trudged slowly upstairs and plopped down on his bed, wishing at that moment that he could just disappear.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was two in the morning, and Hiiro had finally given up his search for Hikari. He walked straight towards his apartment, eyes focused straight ahead. He was mad, to say the least. Someone just hurt Relena, whom he cared for. No, he would never betray his feelings towards her. He felt nothing for her, or at least he would try to convince himself of that.  
  
He felt nothing.  
  
Moving swiftly and quietly into his apartment, he shut the door, not even bothering to turn on the lights. He walked into his room and lay down on his bed. 'I will find her..' he vowed to himself, 'I will find Hikari and she will not get away this time.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Four men marched silently into the dimly lit office as one of them stepped up closer to the man behind the desk, and saluted.  
  
"Akki-san." he said respectfully as he lifted a cloth bundle and placed it on the desk before him.  
  
Akki smiled as he opened the bag, glancing in at the money that filled it. "Well done, men. And the casualty count?"  
  
"As of now, six dead and eight wounded, sir."  
  
"Excellent." the older man replied as he reached into the bag and pulled out a bundle of bills, handing it to the man in front of him. "This is for you and your men. You may all go home to your families now. Your work is done for today."  
  
The four men bowed respectfully and exited just as silently as they entered.  
  
Akki smiled to himself as he counted the rest of the money. He had never imagined that this kind of business could be so successful. He had gained control of all of the known mercenary teams, bringing them all together for one grand operation. It was really a very simple plan.   
  
The war may have ended, but the tension still remained, especially between the earth and the colonies. It took little to get them to turn against each other once more, but this time, it was different. This war was every man for himself, but every man didn't have the means necessary to fight his enemy. That was where Akki and his group of mercenaries came in.  
  
No one knew about the alliance that these mercenaries formed. All they knew was that they were hiring someone else to do their dirty work. The poor fools didn't even realize that the people who were hired to destroy their own businesses were the same ones that they had hired to destroy their rivals just days before. It didn't matter to him though. All he cared about was the money.  
  
He wasn't doing this to become rich, no, he was already a very wealthy man, but he had other plans for this money. After the war with Mari Maya, the last of the mobile suits had been destroyed. Or so everyone thought.   
  
Akki had been doing his research, and he finally came across a small, underground business that offered to build mobile suits, but at a high cost. It would take some time and money to attain the number that he needed, but it was all worth it.  
  
Once he had enough mobile suits, he would attack the unsuspecting, and now defenseless earth and take over. Similar to Mari Maya's plan, but she had made a foolish mistake. She had gone ahead with her operation, despite the fact that the Gundams were still in existence. That was her downfall.  
  
But he? He wouldn't fail. He couldn't. Everything was perfect. He had the money, he had the men. There was only one problem. Two, actually. Those new Gundams.   
  
Akki slammed his fist down on his desk but he quickly regained his calm. No worries. He could take care of them. So far, they had managed to protect Relena Peacecraft, or keep her alive at least, but that's it. He would soon see how these Gundams could hold out against his entire army.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hikari's eyes fluttered open gently as she adjusted to the morning light. She moaned softly as her body stirred. Suddenly, the previous night's events came back and crushed her once more. "Baka..." she whispered, sitting up from the hard ground. She looked around a bit dazed, trying to remember how she had gotten there.  
  
Her clothes were damp with morning dew and her body was covered in grass and dirt. She stood up as best she could and pulled off her sunglasses and wig, not caring at that moment if anyone found her, and began her journey towards home.  
  
  
As she walked slowly through the field, she paused as her eyes caught sight of a tiny sweet pea flower. She knelt down beside it and looked closely at it's pink and white petals, gently brushing her fingertips up against it. She withdrew her hand and narrowed her eyes slightly as she thought of Master U and the horrible things that he had done to herself and Musha.  
  
She remembered very little from her past, her real past. Master U had tried to convince her that he adopted her as an infant, but she knew that it wasn't true. She remembered things..... things like, a soft and gentle voice, who's she could only assume was her real mother's, and the sweet fragrance of sweet peas.   
  
That was all that she could remember before the age of about five. Her earliest and most cherishable memory was the first time that she met Musha.  
  
She remembered it clearly. She awoke in a lonely bed in the infirmary of Master U's mansion. Her memory lost, she didn't know who she was or where she was for that matter. All she could remember was the smell of sweet peas and the sound of a gentle voice. All she felt was fear, confusion and pain.  
  
A continuous burning pain seared through her body. She felt as if she was on fire. Sitting up painfully, she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. That was when she realized that she was truly alone. With no memory and the pain getting worse, she did what any little girl would do in her situation. She buried her hands in her face and cried.  
  
Shaking her head, Tensei came back to reality. There was a sudden gust of wind and a petal came flying off of one of the flowers, landing gently in her hand.  
  
With a sigh, Tensei stood up and continued her long journey home. She tried desperately to distract herself from the guilt that weighed down her soul, until she found herself reliving her memories again.  
  
The small child didn't know how long she sat there, crying, but she didn't care. She lost herself in her fears, and just when she thought that she would drown in her own sorrow, she felt a small hand on her shoulder.  
  
Letting out a startled gasp, she looked up and found herself face to face with another girl, about her age.  
  
Her short, curly blonde hair was thrown carelessly in all directions on her head. Her face was dirty and bruised, she could only assume that this girl was feeling the same pain that she was at this time.  
  
"Don't cry." the girl said steadily and gently, "You're all right." The girl's deep violet eyes were full of confidence, but the trace of fear did not go unnoticed.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
The first girl did her best to smile, despite the situation. "Well, looks like we both have the same problem, ne?"  
  
The door suddenly swung open and a middle-aged woman in a nurse's uniform walked in, carrying two trays of food. Silently, she placed them on a small table in the middle of the room and left without a word.  
  
That was how things were for the next two days. No one else came into the room besides the nurse, and all she ever did was bring them food. She never spoke to them, she didn't even look at them. It was as if they were invisible to her.  
  
Those two days went by slower than the girls had ever thought possible. They never really had anything to talk about. How could they?  
  
Things were pretty calm for those two days, but every once in a while, the little girl would get scared. She wasn't sure why. She just was. Whenever she did get scared, she would sing to herself. It was a familiar song, one of the few things that she remembered. It was the only thing that brought her comfort.  
  
"Tensei." the curly haired girl said calmly as she leaned against her bedpost.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You need a name." the girl stated as she stood straight up, her golden curls bouncing just slightly, "Tensei sounds like a good name for you."  
  
The other girl blushed just slightly at the compliment. Tensei meant 'heavenly voice.' "Arigato.." she said quietly, "May I give you a name?"  
  
The violet eyed girl nodded, "If you want to."  
  
Tensei thought for a moment, then smiled. "Musha. Because you seem like a warrior." It was true, for that whole time, Musha had been the strong one. Despite her uncertainty and fear, Tensei felt safe knowing that Musha was there. She could see in her eyes that she was very strong.  
  
Musha smiled slightly, "I like that..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hiiro Yui stared silently at the limp form of Relena Peacecraft. He didn't speak, he held no facial expression, even his eyes were cold as ice; colder than usual.  
  
"Are you sure that nothing else can be done?" Sally asked almost desperately, glancing over to her fallen friend.  
  
The doctor shook his head, "I'm very sorry, but.... we've tried everything possible."  
  
Quatre frowned, "Doctor, I hope you are aware of the severity of this situation. Whatever the cost of healing her, I will pay it."  
  
The doctor sighed, "If only it were that easy.... Anyway, we'll monitor her closely and inform you of any change."  
  
"Thank you, doctor." Sally smiled weakly. She looked over to Hiiro and her frown returned. She gave Quatre a look and he nodded, opening the door for her and following her outside.  
  
Once the door was shut, Sally sighed. "I can't believe this is happening....."  
  
Quatre shook his head, "I wonder how long it'll be until the media finds out that Relena Peacecraft is in a coma..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha paced back and forth throughout her apartment. 'Damn you, Tensei!! Where are you?!'  
  
"Musha!" Master U shouted as his image appeared on the vid-screen.  
  
Musha groaned inwardly as she turned to face him, "What do you want?"  
  
Master U narrowed his eyes, "You'll never learn to show me respect, will you?"  
  
"I only give respect where it is due." she replied bitterly.  
  
Master U shook his head, "One day, you will learn. But never mind that right now. I heard about what happened last night, and needless to say, I am not pleased at all."  
  
"I shouldn't expect you to be...."  
  
Master U ignored Musha's comment and continued, "Anyway, as I am still angry, I have to bring Tensei back into the mission. We're going to need her help and it seems that she gets in more trouble on her own. I'll find a way to punish her later."  
  
Musha frowned.  
  
"Now listen, what I am about to tell you is VERY important. I have developed an advanced program for both of your Gundams. It's called the Omega System, similar to Doctor J's Zero System. With this program, the pilot becomes as one with her Gundam and the essences around her. She can enter the minds of her enemies and anticipate his moves."  
  
Musha's eyes widened, "How is this possible?!"  
  
"As the Zero System, it is linked directly to the pilot's brain. There is one side effect, however. The Omega System is a powerful program; the human brain is not fully equipped to sustain it for too long of a time. After three minutes of use, the pilot's brain will shut the body down because it can no longer handle the high amounts of energy."  
  
"That's amazing....."  
  
"Make sure to tell Tensei about it once you see her."  
  
"She hasn't returned yet..... and I have to get to the base in a few minutes." Musha replied.  
  
"Fine, then tell her tonight. I don't think she'll stay away much longer."  
  
Musha nodded, "Hai...."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Miss Musha." Quatre greeted as the girl entered the meeting room.  
  
"Musha!" Sally shouted, surprised, "I thought you were going to take a few days off!"  
  
Musha shook her head. "Iie, Miss Po. I can't stand to sit at home and do nothing all day. Besides, my arm is fine."  
  
Sally paused for a moment then gave an approving nod. "If you're sure, demo, take it easy, all right? For today, I only want you you observe."  
  
Musha nodded, "Ii ti mo..."  
  
"Quatre, I want you and Wufei to continue your work on the project that we discussed earlier."  
  
Quatre nodded and stood up, "I'll go get him. Good day, Miss Po, Miss Musha." he bowed politely and exited the room.  
  
"Musha, I really don't want you to hurt your arm anymore. I'll let you work, demo I'm going to send you home early, all right?"  
  
"Fine..." she replied almost bitterly, but there was no use. She knew that she would be no good if she made her arm worse. Without another word, she left to find Duo.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tensei sighed as she watched the screen on her laptop. She had been feeling completely useless, so she decided to do some of her own detective work; to see if she could find out what was going on between the people of the earth and colonies.  
  
She was about to give up when she finally came across a message that looked promising.  
  
5.19.3473 - Offer accepted. Transmit location.  
  
4.927.684 - Trumble Computers. L4 - 756  
  
5.193.473 - Accepted. Operation will commence at 1500 hours.  
  
7.348.190 - Communication Disconnected  
  
Tensei's eyes widened. 'That's got to be another mercenary strike!' her mind shouted, excitedly, 'And I'll be there to stop it! No more of these - "  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre's fingers whisked swiftly across his keyboard until the information he was looking for was finally displayed on the screen. He read it over, and frowned.  
  
"What's wrong, Winner?" Wufei asked, looking over his monitor at the look of confusion written on Quatre's face.  
  
"Miss Musha said that Miss Tensei was sick, correct?" Quatre questioned, still a bit confused.  
  
Wufei just nodded.  
  
"Well, she hasn't registered as sick." he read it over once more to make sure that he hadn't missed anything.  
  
Wufei cocked an eyebrow, "She's not the type to forget that kind of thing."  
  
Quatre shook his head, "No, she's not." he stood up and turned the computer off, "I'm just going to go see how she's doing. I'll be back soon."  
  
With that, he left the room and thirty minutes later found himself right outside of the apartment.  
  
"Hello?" Tensei asked as she opened the door, suppressing a gasp as she realized who was on the other side.  
  
Quatre smiled, "Ohayo Gozaimasu, Miss Tensei! You're looking well!"  
  
Tensei blinked, "I am?" it took her a minute to realize just what he was talking about, "Oh! Yes! I am, thank you! Would you... like to come in?" she asked, opening the door all the way, allowing him to step inside.  
  
"Arigato!" he smiled as he walked in, glancing around at the tiny apartment.  
  
"I was actually about to put on some tea, would you like some?" she asked politely.  
  
"Hai." he smiled, "That would be nice, arigato."  
  
She nodded and went out to the kitchen.  
  
After she left, Quatre found himself examining the room. It was a small living room with a sofa and a coffee table. The small television tucked away in the corner gave him the impression that they weren't huge fans of the "idiot box". As he continued to look around, his eyes fell on the laptop on a small table at the end of the room. He almost gasped in surprise as he recognized the design. It was a very powerful, very expensive model. Even someone who owned such a large company as himself would be making a huge financial investment putting out so much money for such a tool. He wondered how these girls had the money for something like this, and what use they could possibly have for it as opposed to a regular laptop.  
  
"Oh!" Tensei shouted, causing Quatre to jump, "Mr. Winner, the tea is ready!"  
  
He looked over to see Tensei holding a tray with a teapot and two cups. She quickly moved the tray into one hand and used the other to snap the laptop shut. "I'm so sorry!" she said, a bit nervously, "Where are my manners? Please, have a seat! Make yourself comfortable!" she somehow managed to work her body between Quatre's and her laptop, hoping against hope that he didn't see anything crucial.  
  
Quatre nodded and took a seat on the sofa as Tensei sat at the other end and set the tray down on the coffee table. "So... ano, what brings you here today? I'm sure that it wasn't just to check on my health." she asked as she filled both of the cups with tea and handed on to the blonde man sitting beside her.  
  
"Well," Quatre began, taking the cup from her hands, "To be more specific, I came to see if I could ask you why you never registered as sick."  
  
Tensei paused as the color drained from her face. She knew that she forgot something. "Oh! Registering... well, you see, I was just so sick that I couldn't even think straight! And Musha was just too busy. Did I cause a problem?" she managed as sweetly as possible.  
  
Quatre shook his head, "No. It's fine. Just make sure to register next time, please. Now, if you don't mind my asking, what did you have?"  
  
"Oh... I'm, uh.. not quite sure, actually. But it doesn't even matter much now anyway, ne?" she smiled.  
  
"That may be true," Quatre agreed, "Demo, your illness sounded very severe. My sister is a doctor. May I take you to see her? She can make sure that you're completely better. Sometimes these illnesses can come back...."  
  
"Ano... arigato, demo, I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm feeling one-hundred and fifty percent better!"  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it go. "That's good to hear." he smiled. He caught notice of her eyes, they seemed to be full of fear and nervousness. He had the feeling that his presence made her uneasy. "Well," he sighed, setting his empty cup back on the tray, "I suppose I had better get back to work now. Thank you very much for your time, Miss Tensei."  
  
"Just Tensei, remember?"  
  
Quatre smiled, "Of course. Thank you again."  
  
"It was my pleasure." Tensei smiled this time, half because she was relieved that he was finally leaving, but also because.... did she actually enjoy his company? Well, he was pleasant to be with, but she couldn't get too close. She had a mission, and unfortunately, he was not part of it. She opened the door and he stepped out into the hall.  
  
"So will we be seeing you tomorrow?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Hai." Tensei said, 'Boy is Master U gonna be pissed.....'  
  
"Good day then." Quatre said before turning around, "And get some rest today, all right?"  
  
Tensei giggled lightly, "All right! Arigato! Ja!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha sighed as she stepped into her home. She had been bored out of her skull all day. The whole afternoon was spent watching Duo file papers. From the look on his face, she could tell that he wasn't too keen on this idea either. She knew just how much he HATED paperwork.  
  
They wouldn't even so much as let her lift a finger the whole time. The minutes of nothingness dragged on until she finally got to go home, thankful for her early leave.  
  
She looked around at the empty apartment and sighed again. 'Tensei's still not back..... I hope that she's all right...'  
  
It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she had seen Tensei last. She was worried out of her mind. 'Don't worry..' she would tell herself, 'Tensei can take care of herself.' only moments later would her mind respond, 'Tensei?!?! Take care of herself?!?! What are you thinking?!?!'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hikari smirked as she hopped into Kaikou's cockpit, thankful that she herself was the person to design the security system. Master U was a fool, it would take more than that to keep her away.  
  
A simple operation, that's all that this was going to be. Fly in, beat the bad guys and jet outta there. The bakas wouldn't be expecting any interference. She smiled as Kaikou's systems came online. "I'll show him that I'm not worthless." the hangar door opened and Hikari began her short journey to L4.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you positive?" Sally questioned, her eyes wide with shock.  
  
Quatre nodded, "Please trust me on this, Miss Po."  
  
Sally paused for a moment, then sighed, "Are you sure that you can't tell me where you got this information?"  
  
Quatre shook his head, "Gomen nasai. You know I wouldn't keep anything from you unless it were absolutely necessary."  
  
"I know, Quatre, and thank you. Now, will you need everyone's help for this?"  
  
"We should do fine with just Duo and Hiiro. All we have to do is get them to evacuate the building before three o'clock."  
  
"All right," Sally agreed, "I'll go find them. Meet me at the shuttle station at eleven."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hikari sat silently in her Gundam, thankful for the forest nearby her target. She could easily hide herself until the enemy appeared.  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Hikari smiled, "There we go...."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Excuse me, sir." Quatre said politely to the man at the front desk of Trumble Computers, "This is going to sound odd, but I need you to have this building evacuated immediately."  
  
The man blinked, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Please, sir. We're from the Preventers. We need your full cooperation, it's crucial."  
  
"Demo... there are thousands of people in here!" the man protested, his eyes wide with disbelief, "Do you realize how long that could take?!"  
  
"Listen, mister..." Duo crossed his arms, "Pretty soon, someone's gonna blow this place to smitherines, so I suggest you help us out here."  
  
"Demo...."  
  
Before the man could continue, a loud bell sounded throughout the building. Everyone looked to see Hiiro standing by the fire alarm, his face still emotionless.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The pilot of the Aries smirked, 'This is going to be easy..' he thought, 'And the casualties will be astronomical...' He suddenly gasped as he saw hundreds of people running out of the building. "Nande kuso?!?!"  
  
A small light flashed on his controls, signaling an incoming message. He opened communications and Hikari appeared on his vid-screen. "Abort your operation or I'll be forced to destroy you!!"  
  
'Nani?!' the man's mind screamed, 'A gundam pilot too??!' "Never!!" he shouted, aiming his laser at Kaikou, "You're a fool if you think that you can defeat me!"  
  
Hikari smirked, "We'll soon see who the greater fool is." she maneuvered Kaikou to narrowly miss the blast, then retaliated, charging at the enemy suit with Kaikou's sword straight out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo glanced around approvingly at the people running out of the building. "The fire alarm.....heh.. why hadn't I thought of that?" he walked outside and paled when he saw the battle going on above him. "HIIRO! SALLY! QUATRE!! GET OUT HERE!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha paced back and forth in the living room once more, a bad habit of hers that she did whenever she was worried or stressed. Tensei still hadn't returned and there was no way of contacting her.   
  
She stopped and looked at the door. Her mind was made up, she had noticed a field nearby the Preventers' base. She could go there and practice her kata for a while to clear her mind. Without a second thought, she ran out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"NANI?!" Sally's eyes widened as she looked up at the scene before her, "That's one of the Gundams!!!"  
  
Quatre narrowed his eyes, 'I knew it......' he thought.  
  
"LOOK!" Duo shouted, pointing upward. Everyone looked up just in time to see the Gundam slash at the Aries with it's sword, splitting it in half. "The Gundam won!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"WOOHOO!!!" Hikari shouted happily, a look of satisfaction burned onto her face, "I did it! Time to go home!" But she didn't get that far. Before she could reach for the controls again, her body started shaking. Seconds later, she fell unconscious as Kaikou fell towards the ground.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha looked around, satisfied that the field was, in fact empty. She liked to practice alone. She had only been there ten minutes when a voice broke her concentration."  
  
"Onna....."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaikou fell to the ground with a loud crash. Quatre looked around, thankful that no one got hurt, but he wasn't so sure what to think of the person inside.  
  
"Let's go...." Sally said, slowly taking her gun into her hands.  
  
Hiiro was the first one there. He physically yanked open the cockpit door, with a little help from Duo and Quatre. Once it was open, three of them gasped.  
  
"It's Hikari!" Sally shouted. She looked over and could see the look of hate written all over Hiiro's face. She was glad that Hiiro wasn't alone, or Hikari would surely be dead. She stepped inside and checked the girl's pulse. "She's alive, just unconscious. Help me get her out of here."  
  
"Well.." Duo said, crossing his arms, "We've got her! No one gets away from the great Shinigami!"  
  
Quatre didn't move, he just stared down, sadly, 'Why.....?' he asked, as if the girl could hear him telepathically, 'Why, Tensei?'  
  
  
  
Notes: All right, that's it for now. Now review, onegai!!!  
Notes: 


	6. A New Alliance

Author's Notes: Okie..... thanks to evil Yahoo, I had to reformat this WHOLE thing (with the free time that I do NOT have). but it's FINISHED! YOu people should really review....when we get more reviews, we post more! We're already working on chapter 10, so get with it! lol  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Darkness. No light.  
  
'Nani? What happened?'  
  
Voices now, faint and sounding far away.  
  
"Any change?"  
  
"Iie. The brain waves have remained even and the heart beat hasn't shown any irregulars in it."  
  
'I-I don't understand. I'm so tired.'  
  
"What about the other one? Have the Preventers been able to capture her yet?"  
  
"Iie. There has been no word."  
  
A sigh.  
  
"Lets go then. Nothing is happening here and it's clear that Hikari isn't going to go anywhere."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Footsteps, retreating. Then silence.  
  
'Other one? What are they…MUSHA!'  
  
Tensei's fogged mind instantly cleared and her eyes shot open. She couldn't move. Her eyes grew wide and she turned her head to the side and fought back a gasp. Her hands were strapped down to a table. She knew where she was. 'This is third level of the medical ward of the Preventers headquarters, which means I'm probably being monitored right now.'  
  
Thinking back to her training, she took a deep breath and struggled to keep her heartbeat and brain waves what they had been only moments before. 'After all' she thought teasingly, despite the situation. 'Who knows, those two baka's that left me here might suddenly get a brain and come back.'   
  
Thoughts raced through Tensei's head a mile a minute. Where was she, how had she gotten here, where was Musha, who were those men, and what was she doing at the Preventers?  
  
The grim reality set in and her blood froze. 'Kami…I didn't, I couldn't have…IIE! I refuse to believe…that…'  
  
Tensei shut her eyes quickly hoping against hope that it would prevent the tears that she knew were filling her eyes from falling down her cheeks. Despite her efforts though, she couldn't stop the muffled sob that tore from her throat.  
  
'I can't do anything right! First Relena Peacecraft gets shot, then I get Musha hurt because of my own stupidity, and now, this.' Suddenly, she couldn't help it as a bitter laugh tore  
forth from her throat. What did it matter if anyone heard her? What did it matter if she was killed or sentenced to death? She deserved it, she deserved all of it. It could all be blamed on her. Everything! Hell, she wouldn't have been surprised if her families' death was her fault as well! 'I probably abandoned them.' The thought came into her head before she could stop it. 'Just like I abandoned Musha to get shot. It's all my fault!'  
  
She felt as if she was struggling to hold onto her sanity. Was this what it felt like, right before someone lost his or her grip on the conscious world? It had been drilled into her head again and again when she was growing up and undergoing training. She'd seen the pictures of soldiers whom had lost their minds on the battlefield, when gundam pilot 04 had gone insane  
and destroyed a colony; she hadn't been away from the news for a moment. All of those soldiers had gone insane, was she about to join them? Then, just when she thought she would drown in her miseries.  
  
"Ms Hikari."  
  
Then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. All with that single voice, that one sentence. The anger and the rage, all of it was gone. Leaving only a shaking Tensei, unable to move with soft, silent tears trickling down her cheeks. 'Kami. I'm so sorry. Okaasan, Otousan, Musha. Kami forgive me.'  
  
Ever so slowly, Tensei's eyes opened and she found herself face to face with Quatre Raberba Winner. Quatre's eyes softened for the girl. He knew what she was going through, hadn't he gone through the same thing himself only a few short years before? 'No one should have to experience what I went through" he thought to himself softly. 'But it looks like Ms Tensei already has experienced it, along with so much more.'  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Her face struggled to remain impassive. "What do you want 04?" Her voice came out bitter but it had hoarseness to it.  
  
Quatre sighed softly. " I want to help you Tensei."  
  
Her eyes grew wide. "Nani! How do you know who I am?"  
  
Refusing to make eye contact, Quatre wordlessly walked over to the control panel. Pressing few random buttons quickly.   
  
"Hey! Answer me!" Tensei glared darkly at Quatre, but the effort was wasted as he still refused to make eye contact.  
  
"Password acknowledged" The digital voice of the computer box spoke emotionlessly. "Releasing table straps."  
  
She was free.  
  
Getting over her shock quickly, Tensei jumped up and took on a fighting stance, uttering a silent thank you that she had let Musha teach her a few more advanced fighting techniques.  
  
"You're free to go now Ms Tensei. I won't stop you from leaving and I'll try to prevent anyone else from following you" said Quatre, still refusing to look at her.  
  
"Why are you helping me?! Why are you doing this! You've won! You've captured me, the one who shot Relena Peacecraft! Why are you doing this?" Tensei clenched her fingers together, willing for them to stop shaking.  
  
Quatre shut his eyes; again that feeling was in his chest, in his heart. "I don't know. All I know is that you didn't shoot Ms Relena Peacecraft." He still refused to look at her, he couldn't.   
  
"IIE! Don't you understand?! It's my fault! All my fault! My fault Relena was shot, my fault that Hoshi got hurt! My fault! All if it! I deserve this punishment! I deserve what ever is going to happen to me! I deserve all of it!" The tears came again, sparkling and glittering as they fell to the ground. She could feel her sanity slipping again but she didn't care. It was her fault! All her fault!  
  
Suddenly, she was gently pushed up against a wall, her arms pinned to her sides. Her eyes opened and brown met with pale gentle blue.  
  
"Iie Tensei." Quatre's voice was soft and gentle, the kind you would use when trying to soothe an angry child. But there was something different to it, a strange sound in it that meant something that not even Quatre himself understood. "It's not your fault. A soldier is trained only to fight, it's the only thing that they know how to do. No one could have prevented what happened to Ms Relena. No one could have seen it coming and no one could have stopped it. Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do!" He had no idea why it was so important to himself to make Tensei realize this. He was at the mercy of his emotions, and all he knew what that he had to make Tensei realize that she was innocent.  
  
The rage drained from Tensei's eyes, the anger faded leaving only pure shock in her light brown eyes. "W-why are you helping me?"  
  
"Because I know you're a better person that you say you are."  
  
***  
  
Musha whirled around, eyes wild in both surprise and anger as she came face to face with Wufei. 'Nani? Wufei?' "What are you doing here baka?" She snarled out, her violet eyes darkening with fury. How long had he been there for? Damnit! What did he want?  
  
Wufei met her gaze head on. His eyes narrowed. Fury, rage, and some other unknown emotion were swimming in his dark eyes. It unnerved her. As a soldier, she'd been trained that  
everyone wanted something and thus, her defenses should always be on alert.   
  
Master U's voice rang out clearly in Musha's mind. 'The world is a dark place Musha. Everyone always wants something from someone else. Always keep your defenses up. Always be prepared.'   
  
She did that now. Her eyes hardened and her senses went on alert. 'Whatever he wants, he won't get it.' She thought to herself bitterly.  
  
"You shouldn't be out here onna."   
  
They crashed. She'd been expecting an insult, an order, even an accusation of being an enemy but that? With that single sentence, her defenses crashed.  
  
Wufei watched her, his face remaining impassive but his eyes still swimming with those emotions. His eyes flickered to her bandaged arm. A tell tale red hue now covered them, singling that her arm had once again started to bleed.   
  
'Baka onna! She knew she was injured, so why the hell was she doing a kata!' That katana…parts of it were similar to some of the moves that his clan had once possessed. Only people from L5 knew of it, so where has she learned it? He watched her for another moment, before walking up to her. Onna or not, that bandage was getting redder, she was bleeding again.  
  
He placed his hand on the bandage for a moment, but the second that he did, Musha seemed to snap out of a trance and jumped back. "What the hell do you think your doing?"  
  
"Baka onna!" He all but growled out. "You're bleeding again!"  
  
She cast a quick glance down to her arm, and narrowed her eyes as she realized he was he was telling the truth. "You're point is?"  
  
"Like I said before onna." He said simply, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you get hurt, it's my ass on the line!"  
  
"Well you can stop worrying now baka! I'm a lot stronger then you think I am and I can take care of myself so just LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
  
Wufei snorted and gazed evenly at her arm. "You can take care of yourself? Last weeks events seem to suggest other wise onna. Or have you forgotten what happened already?"  
  
Musha glared at Wufei darkly, her own eyes flaming with rage. "Well if you hadn't been shouting for the assailant to show himself and been helping me catch him, maybe I wouldn't have been shot! Or did that thought never occur to you?"  
  
"Hai, well you should have known not to chase the enemy by yourself." Wufei roared out. "Use your head onna, or were you not trained to do that?"  
  
Was it possible, for someone to fall apart with a single sentence? Musha blinked, suddenly finding herself breathless as that single sentence rang throughout her mind. Why had he said that, and why the hell did she care that he'd said that! Why…. "Just forget it." She managed to growl out. Nearly cursing herself as she heard her voice shake. She'd been insulted ten times that as well as beaten by Master U, so why the hell did that insult hurt so much? "Just…forget it."  
  
Wordlessly, Musha turned to walk past Wufei. "Matte yo." Wufei's hand reached out and gently gripped Musha's wrist, stopping her from walking any further.  
  
Something inside him stirred when he'd heard her voice shake. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt her…. why the hell did he care!?  
  
"What?" She tried to make her voice should angry and indifferent, but it shook slightly, causing those emotions to stir within Wufei again.  
  
"Gomen ne."  
  
Musha turned around slowly, finding herself face to face with him, and against her will, finding herself drowning in his dark eyes. "N-nani…?"   
  
Such as Musha found herself drowning in a warm darkness, Wufei found himself getting lost in an eternity that was violet. "Gomen nasai."  
  
****  
  
"Hey, Quatre!"   
  
Quatre let out a mental groan. Not now, anytime but now. "Hai Duo?"  
  
Duo ran up to him, braid flying behind him. His normal goofy grin was plastered on his face, but there was something off in his eyes. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since that Hikari chick was brought in."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened faintly and fear gripped his heart for an instant, but either Duo didn't notice, or he chose to ignore it. "I've been with Sally Po, discussing what to do next."  
  
Duo seemed to accept that answer, but suddenly the grin was gone. "Quatre, have you heard anymore news on Relena Peacecraft?"  
  
Quartes eyes softened faintly. "Iie I haven't. The last I heard she was still in a coma."  
  
He sighed" Man…. well, if you hear anything else. Let me know will ya?" Duo's gaze shifted to a window and he ran a hand through his hair.  
  
'So that's what this is all about. Duo's so serious. I've never seen him like this before.'  
  
"Hiiro's a wreck. I've never seen him like this before."  
  
Quatre cast a quick glance towards a darkened hallway. Concern flashing in his eyes. An action that doesn't go unnoticed by Duo and confused him to no end.  
  
"Do you think he'll be alright Duo?"  
  
"I don't know Q-man, I just don't know. Relena was the person that gave Hiiro his humanity back. She saved him, if she's gone then…." He trailed off, turning to look at Quatre again. "I'd better go. I'm suppose to meet Trowa in a few minutes." The grin was back and all trace of seriousness was gone. All of it that is, expect that strange off look in his eyes. "Who knows, maybe I'll even get him to talk this time. Ja Q-man!" Turning, Duo vanished back down the way he came, braid once again flying out behind him.  
  
'Saved him…' thought Quatre quietly to himself. 'Why do I feel as if I know what Hiiro is going through?' Quatre cast a quick glance back to the darkened hallway behind him. "It's okay to come out now."  
  
Slowly a form stepped out of the darkness of the hallway. Head bowed and refusing to make eye contact with Quatre. "Gomen nasai Quatre. This is all my fault."  
  
He shook his head quickly, eyes flashing. "Iie, I already said that I didn't believe that it was you who shot Ms Relena Peacecraft. You have no need to apologize. Stop blaming yourself."   
  
His eyes scanned the area one more time, before he quickly gestured to the open door. "You'd better go now before someone realizes that you've left your cell. You'll find your gundam through there." He looked up and his eyes locked with Tensei, a silent understanding passing through both of them. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."  
  
"…Arigato Quatre-san." Turning around quickly, Tensei dashed for the door but as she reached it, she paused for a moment, watching him out of the corner of her eyes. "Quatre-san, why are you helping me? You're placing blind faith in me."  
  
He was silent for a long moment, as if choosing his words carefully and when he finally spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "It's because that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left you there."  
  
Her eyes widened and a strange sensation emerged in her chest, or maybe it had always been there and she had just never noticed it before. "Nani…"  
  
He pointed to the door, eyes hardening. "Go. You don't have much time."  
  
Then without another word, the soldier known as Hikari, the woman known as Tensei vanished out a door under the silent gaze of Quartre Raberba Winner.  
  
***  
  
Hiiro gently brushes a strand of hair from Relena's limp face, his eyes filled with rage, fury and, fear. He was known as the perfect soldier, and he was true to his name. He could kill without feeling; he could destroy thousands of mobile suits without a second thought and virtually turn the tide of an entire war. And yet, he couldn't save the life of the one he loved the most. 'What good is it to be perfect, if you can't save the life of a single girl?'  
  
"Relena…" His vision began to get blurry. No, he couldn't cry. The perfect soldier was immune to such emotions. But he wasn't perfect, was he? If he were perfect, then Relena wouldn't have been hurt. So, Hiiro Yui bowed his head and did something he would never admit to even under the most extreme cases of torture.  
  
He cried.  
  
It was sloppy crying, the kind of tears that come when someone is unsure of how to cry, or how to react to the tears or emotions that came with them. He hadn't been able to save her, and now, he was helpless to do anything to help the one he loved most. "Relena…please, open your eyes. I can't live without you. You're my humanity. Don't leave, don't' let my life go back to what it was before."  
  
She didn't move, her eyes didn't open and a smile didn't grace her face. Hiiro's eyes hardened and he stood up, grabbing his gun and clenching it tightly within his grasp. "Relena, I swear on my life that I'll make whoever did this to you wish that they were dead."  
  
Then just as silently as the tears had fallen earlier, Hiiro Yui vanished out of the hospital.  
  
****  
  
'Shadows. For the longest time. That was all I could remember. An eternity of darkness and shadows stretching back for as far as I could remember. Master U said it was for the best, that our lives had been horrible before he had taken us in and that we shouldn't care about the past, all we should care about, according to him, was only the future and what he taught us. Nothing else was supposed to matter.  
  
But still, I wanted to remember. I'd woken up in a strange hospital room; not even opening my eyes could chase the nightmares away from my childhood mind. I was so scared. I couldn't remember anything, who I was or what I was. The only memory was a strange scar that jagged along my left shoulder blade, something I still keep from even Tensei, my only friend.  
  
Tensei. When I'd woken up in that strange hospital, there had been another girl in there with me, sobbing softly. Her dirty blonde hair tangled around her face and her brown eyes holding so much sorrow. I'd told her not to be afraid and, it was only right that since I was telling her not to be afraid, that I shouldn't be afraid either.  
  
We hadn't remembered what our names were, so we'd named each other. The girl who was with me would always sing and had a beautiful voice, so I'd named her Tensei and in return, she'd named me Musha. It meant warrior, if only she knew how afraid I'd been, and how afraid I still am.  
  
It was during one of Tensei's songs, that a few scraps of memories had come back to me, the smell of the forest, and the constellation Orion. Then, Master U had come into our lives and there had been no time or place for memories of the past.  
  
The torture of the next few years was only survived by our friendship, and the few memories that we had. Tensei and I, we were all the other one had and in that single fact, the two of us became closer then family. We were soul sisters. Master U had said that there was no room for any attachments in war, and that we should care for each other only as allies and nothing more, but despite all that, Tensei and I had become what we are today. Friends, family as well as allies.'  
  
Despite it all, we went against Master U's wishes and became more than allies, now though…is it happening again?' Musha sighed softly and allowed herself to collapse into a chair in the living room. The mission had been supposed to be easy. Go in, save Relena Peacecraft, and then get out. But now, she realized that it was anything but easy.  
  
'First, the Mercenaries get stronger, then Relena is shot, then Hikari is accused of shooting Relena, then I'm shot, then Master U adds that new system to the Gundams, and now…' Musha looked down at her newly bandaged arm and felt her face warm and fully cursed herself as she did so.  
  
'Baka na' she thought to herself bitterly. 'A soldier without any attachments is the most dangerous kind, because they have nothing to loose! I can't get any attachments!'  
  
'Demo' another part of her mind argued. 'You already have made attachments.'  
  
'IIE! Wufei is not an attachment!'  
  
'And yet, you're still blushing about how he bandaged your arm and your still thinking about him.'  
  
'Shut up!!'  
  
A floorboard creaked.  
  
Musha's eyes shot open and she raised her hand just in time to stop a gun handle from crashing into her skull.  
  
She narrowed her eyes and kicked the holder of the gun hard in the chest, making him stumble back. "Coward! Sneaking up behind me." A faint smirk crossed her face as she realized that the man who had tried to knock her out had no other weapons on him except the gun. This would be easy. "Idiot." she mumbled under her breath. "You should know better than to come in here and try to take me on alone with only a gun."  
  
"The stranger sneered at her. "Who's the idiot? The one that sneaks in here, or the one with the injured arm that doesn't look behind her?"  
  
'Nani?! KUSO!'  
  
Her leg flew up in a sidekick and connected with a man's chin, knocking him roughly to the ground with a slurred curse. Musha smirked. "You might want to get that looked at. A broken jaw can be quite painful."  
  
The man on the ground glared at her. "Ama…"  
  
She was about to retort when a sheering pain jagged up her injured arm as it was roughly grabbed and Musha was pulled backwards.  
  
'Oh no.' Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake too late. She'd forgotten about the man behind her!  
  
"Like I said ama." The first man hissed into her ear. "The real idiot is the one that refuses to look behind her."   
  
Musha could only silently agree as a cloth was roughly placed around her mouth and nose and she was lost in darkness.  
  
***  
  
"I guess I owe him a thank you later." Tensei uttered a soft sigh as she turned another corner, signaling to her that she was only about two blocks from her home. After Quatre had let her go, she'd taken her Gundam and hidden it in the forest near their house. A smile spread across her face. She was going home. "I wonder how Musha's doing," she mused out loud. "I still owe her for hitting me with that pillow in our last pillow fight, and maybe we could just go have some fun, like we use to before this mission and…. oh." The fact that Musha had been hurt because of Tensei settled over her like a thick cloak.  
  
"I've really messed up recently…." She murmured to herself, watching the sun set. " Demo, why did he help me, why…" An image of a certain blonde haired blue-eyed pilot flashed quickly through her head and Tensei couldn't help the blush that spread along her face.  
  
'I really owe him. He saved my life and trusted me for no reason at all. I still don't understand though. Why would he have done that? Master U said that every person alive only shows kindness to another because they are looking for something in return demo, why do I feel as if Quatre is different?'  
  
Tensei' thought back to when he'd pinned her up against a wall and couldn't fight the shiver that seeped throughout her spine, the raw emotions that she had seen in his eyes, even in her half sane state. Fury, fear and possibly even lo….iie, she couldn't think like that.  
  
'The most deadly of soldiers are the kind that have no attachments' she mentally recited to herself. She looked up, only one more block to her house now. 'Besides, no one could ever love a blood stained soldier such as myself.' A cold object was placed at the base of her neck and she froze.   
  
"Alright girly." A gruff voice whispered in her ear. "If you listen to us and do as we say we wont hurt you like we had to that other girl."  
  
Tensei shut her eyes. 'This day just keeps on getting better and better…' She managed to sense another presence just next to the first one. 'All right, so there are two of them. One of them has a gun and I don't know about the other one.'  
  
Musha's voice rang out in her mind. 'Peace is only an endless dream Tensei. Wherever you go, you'll always find a fight. Don't fear it and don't forget it.' 'Hai, Musha. I'm not afraid anymore.'  
  
"Well? Answer us!" The gun was pushed harder against her skin and Tensei fought back a wince. "Iie."  
  
Before the man could react, Tensei spun her leg around and fought a satisfied grin that wanted to spread across her face as she it connected with the guy's ribs and a crack was heard. The guy fell down limp.   
  
The second guy cursed and reached for the fallen guy's gun.  
  
Tensei narrowed her eyes. ' I don't' think so.' Her fist connected with the guy's temple and without another word, he fell down limp as well. Tensei slowly reached for the fallen gun before  
checking for pulses on both of the guys. Upon finding one, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Soldier or not" She murmured to herself. "I still don't like to kill."  
  
Slowly, she began walking the rest of the way back to her home. Something was still bothering her though, something the first guy had said. 'We won't hurt you like that other girl…what did he mean by that….Kami... MUSHA!'  
  
Tensei took off at a dead sprint. Musha was hurt. If those guys had gone after her then…iie. 'Musha's strong. She'll be fine.. She will.' Tensei's blood ran cold and she stopped running. She had reached their apartment.  
  
'Kami…no.'  
  
The entire place was in disarray and Musha, was gone.  
  
***  
  
Akki smirked. It was all coming together. Everything.  
  
A scientist walked in and bowed before Akki, before handing him a folder that had 'Musha Eien' written along it.  
  
"You were successful then?" Asked Akki, placing the folder down on the table in front of him.  
  
The scientist nodded. "Hai, Musha Eien is currently in level C-1. She is fully prepared for the device."  
  
"Tell me more about this device. Are you sure it won't backfire on us?" Akki's eyes flashed dangerously, promising a vast amount of pain if the scientist before him dared to make a mistake. The look didn't go unnoticed by the scientist.  
  
"I-Iie Sir. The device is placed behind the left ear of the subject. It sends out brain waves that end up suppressing conscious thought. In other words, the device makes it though the subjects, spirit, if you will, is suppressed in a almost comatose state, leaving the body as well as the abilities at the power of whoever has control of the device."  
  
"And you're sure that this won't backfire?"  
  
"Hai Sir, it's been tested and is 100% functional."  
  
"Perfect." Akki looked at the folder again, and almost instantly, his eyes filled with fury. "THERE IS ONLY ONE FILE HERE! WHERE IS THE SECOND PILOT?!"  
  
The scientist seemed to shrink before Akki in fear. "G-gomen nasi Akki-sama. Tensei managed to evade our men. She was unable to be captured."  
  
"Why you…" Akki's eyes narrowed dangerously, promising severe punishment, but suddenly a strange look spread across his face. "Matte…."  
  
"S-sir."  
  
Akki began flipping through the folder. "Proceed with the surgery with Musha Eien. We can still make this work, perhaps even better than before."  
  
"Forgive me Sir, demo, what do you mean?"  
  
He smirked. "I have information from a source that Musha as well as Tensei are very attached to one another. By gaining control of one of them, we can capture, if not destroy, the other one."  
  
The scientist nodded. "Brilliant idea Sir..Brillant."  
  
He turned to walk out.  
  
"Matte yo ."  
  
The scientist froze and slowly turned around. "Sir?"  
  
Akki smiled a smile that didn't' quite reach his eyes. "Don't' question my orders again, do you understand?"  
  
"H-hai, Sir." He all but squeaked, before practically running out of the room.  
  
Turning his gaze back to the folder, Akki ran his fingers along a picture of Musha Eien. "Musha Eien, aka, Hoshi, pilot of the Gundam known as StarsFury. One is better than none I suppose, and she shall play a beautiful part in my victory."  
  
***  
  
Faster, faster. Green light, green light, red light. 'Forget it, I'm not stopping now, not when Musha could be in danger. She's risked her life to save mine so many times, I owe her this.' Thought Tensei grimly, pressing down on the gas harder and zooming through the red.  
  
The vid-phone flickered to life and Master U's face shined through it. "TENSEI! What the hell are you doing! I didn't give you orders."   
  
Tensei turned her gaze to the screen, her eyes furious. "With all due respect Master U, currently, I'm not following your orders."  
  
If possible, Master U's face grew even redder. "What the hell do you mean by tha-"  
  
With a swift and simple click, Master U's face flickered out along with the Vid-phone. 'Musha has been captured by the enemy. I need to find her…and as much as I hate to admit it, there are only a few people who I know can help me find her.'  
  
Tensei practically destroyed the breaks as she stopped her car before Preventer Headquarters.  
  
***  
  
'Nani, what happened….my head.' Slowly, Musha's eyes opened, but the second they did, she wished she'd left them closed as a sheering pain shot through her head. "Great.. Just great…what the hell happened?" She raised a hand to touch her forehead, only to realize she couldn't lift her hands.  
  
"NANI!" Her head shot to the side and her eyes widened even more, as she realized exactly why her arms couldn't move. She was strapped down to a table. 'Nani…what…oh kami…BAKA! You knew you were injured, and you knew that there was more than one guy in the room. BAKA! You let your confidence get the best of you.' "DAMNIT!"  
  
"My my…a girl shouldn't use such words."  
  
Musha turned her head around quickly and found herself face to face with a strange man. "Who the hell are you?!"  
  
The man chuckled. "My name is Akki, and I suppose I am the man whom you've been fighting against for the past several weeks."  
  
"You…what the hell do you want with me!"  
  
Akki smiled again and stepped closer to Musha. "That's a complicated question Musha, or should I say Hoshi." Ignoring Mushas curses he continued. "You see, I want nothing more than you yourself."  
  
"Nani!" Musha roared out, there had to be a way out of this. She had to get away from this crazy idiot.  
  
"I'm offering you a job Musha. I'll pay you well you know, if you work for me. We'd do all of the hard work, all you'd have to do would be to kill Relena Peacecraft."  
  
Musha's eyes widened even more. Kill the only hope for peace that the world had? 'He's more than an idiot, he's crazy!' "I'd rather take my own life than join you!"  
  
Akki laughed then smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. " Dear Musha, you don't have a choice." He turned away from her quickly and walked out of the room. " Proceed!"  
  
Musha's eyes widened, just before an immense pain sheered through her entire body, then, she, just, didn't feel anything else.  
  
***  
  
"How's Relena?"   
  
Sally looked up and locked eyes with Quatre and Trowa. Everyone else was already in the room, Wufei, Hiiro and Duo.  
  
"If Hikari had never escaped, this wouldn't have happened." Duo muttered under his breath.  
  
If Sally heard the comment, she chose to ignore it. "Not good I'm afraid, her condition is stable, but there has been no change in her state. She very may well never wake up."  
  
Silence filled the room thickly and surprisingly; it was Wufei that broke the silence. "Then all we can do is wait, and hope that the onna is stronger than she appears to be."  
  
Hiiro's eyes shot open, filled with fury as he shot a death glare at Wufei, who met it head on. "Omae o-"  
  
"Ms Sally!" A soldier ran in the room, breathing hard.  
  
Sally looked up, concern flashing in her eyes. "What's wrong?"  
  
The soldier gasped for breath. "Someone has broken in the Preventers' base, Ms Sally, they believe that it's Hikari!"  
  
Trowa's visible green eye shot open and blazed with emotions, although none of them were readable. Without a word, he grabbed his gun. "Where?"  
  
Duo grinned, grabbing his own gun. "The God of Death will bring Hikari with him back to hell!"  
  
The soldier, realizing his job was done, dashed out of the room.  
  
"I'll save you the trouble."  
  
Six sets of eyes whirled around to rest on Hikari, leaning against the far wall, watching them all calmly, although there was a strange light in her eyes.  
  
Hiiros' gun shot up, his eyes grim and deadly. "Omae o korosu."  
  
"Hiiro! Iie! Wait!" Quatre stepped in front of Hiiro quickly, his eyes resting on Tensei. 'Why did she come back! It's not safe for her here! I can't let anything happen to her!'  
  
As if reading his mind, Hikari spoke. "I came to ask for help."  
  
Wufei's eyes narrowed, for some reason he was feeling very uneasy, almost scared. "What do you mean onna?"  
  
The vidphone flashed to life and all eyes turned to rest on it.  
  
"Attention citizens of the United Earth Sphere Alliance and citizens of the colonies. We are in control of the Gundam known as Stars Fury, as well as the pilot known as Hoshi. We demand the immediate death of Relena Peacecraft and the surrender of the gundam pilot known as Hikari. If our demands are not met in twelve hours, the earth and colonies will be at the mercy of Hoshi and StarsFury."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
DUN DUN DUN!!!!! Review, onegai! *smiles sweetly* 


	7. Everything to Lose

Authors' Notes: Hello once again! Mwahaha! This is Tensei! Here is yet ANOTHER chapter that you will hopefully enjoy. Musha and I are working VERY hard on this, and look forward to your feedback(translation: We THRIVE on reviews!)  
  
Before we continue, I must apologize for an earlier mistake of mine. I said a couple chapters ago that Dr. J designed the ZERO system.. well..heh.. since then, I have actually SEEN Gundam Wing, and now know that Quatre was the one who built it. Heh.... that's what I get for writing about something I've never seen before.....-_- ANyhoo, please enjoy this chapter... and SMILE! YAY!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Hikari's eyes widened as she turned to face the screen. She wanted to scream out, but she couldn't. She had to maintain a cool exterior if she would have any hope of receiving help from the Preventers. Her eyes locked onto the image of her enemy, and she silently vowed that this man would die a horrible death if she ever got near him, which she had every intention of doing.  
  
"We will meet you at the capitol building. Until then." Akki said before the screen went back to black.  
  
"Nande kuso?!?!" she heard Duo shout behind her, "Who the hell is that?!"  
  
"Trowa!!" Sally shouted, trying to hide her own confusion, "Hurry up and trace that signal!! Find out where this guy is at once!!"  
  
Trowa nodded, and sat down at a computer nearby, typing quickly in attempt to find the location of this strange man.  
  
Hikari took a deep breath and turned back to face the others, but the first thing that she felt was cold metal pressed against her chest as her eyes met with angry Prussian blue.  
  
"Omae o korosu."  
  
"Hiiro!" Quatre shouted, "No! Wait!!"  
  
Hikari just stared straight ahead, almost daring Hiiro shoot. "If you kill me, you will kill the only chance that Relena has at survival."  
  
Hiiro's eyes went wide, his hand visibly shaking, "What do you mean?" he demanded, determined not to let his voice falter.  
  
"Hikari," Sally started, "Please explain to us why we shouldn't arrest you right now."  
  
Hikari took a step back, confident that Hiiro would not shoot her at this moment. His face may have remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him. She could see the anger, the hatred, but also the pain, anguish and fear that dominated. She knew that he wouldn't do anything to lessen Relena's chance of survival.  
  
"Believe it or not," Hikari began, still determined to keep her voice steady, "We are all on the same side. Hoshi and I are here to help you."  
  
"You call shooting Relena Peacecraft helping?!" Wufei demanded angrily, not knowing why he was so mad, but knowing that he had to channel it somewhere before he hurt someone, "We are not fools, onna!"  
  
"She did not shoot Relena-sama!" Quatre jumped in, all eyes fell on him, "Onegai! Hear her out!"  
  
"And why should we?" Duo asked smugly, crossing his arms over his chest, "After all, she IS the enemy."  
  
Sally raised a hand, asking for silence, "We will listen, Hikari, but we had better like your explanation."  
  
Hikari bowed respectfully, "Arigato, Sally-san." she paused and took a deep breath, she had to tell them everything. It was the only way to get Musha back. "Before I go any further, I must apologize and explain who I really am." She reached up and pulled off her sunglasses, her eyes still closed as she gently slid the black wig off of her head, her long blonde hair spilling out as gasps could be heard throughout the room. She opened her brown eyes, regret and determination shining from their depths. "I am Hikari, also known as Jiaino Tensei." Everyone in the room but Quatre gasped.  
  
"Tensei?!" Duo shouted in disbelief, "This just keeps getting better and better!"  
  
"And Hoshi," she continued, ignoring Duo's comment, "Is Eien Musha, my ally and my friend."  
  
Wufei's eyes went wide, "Musha?!" 'Masaka!' he thought, 'I just saw her today!!! She couldn't have disappeared!'  
  
Tensei lowered her gaze and nodded, "I understand if you still want to arrest me, but I'm the only one who can stop this man. With your help, of course." she added quickly.  
  
Sally shot Quatre a questioning glance, and he nodded, "Miss Sally, I know that the evidence against Miss Tensei is convincing, but it's merely circumstantial. We know that she was present when Miss Relena was shot, but we also know that she has had many other chances to hurt her, had she desired so, that would have been more convenient and safer on her part.  
  
"They were both clever enough to trick us into believing that they were really, in fact, Eien Musha and Tensei Jiaino. I don't believe that they would have been careless enough to let themselves get caught while trying to assassinate Relena Peacacraft,."  
  
"Plus this man who has Musha obviously wants Relena-sama dead," Trowa added, standing up from his seat at the computer, "Maybe we should investigate alternate suspects."  
  
Sally sighed, and nodded. "Did you get a trace on the signal?"  
  
Trowa shook his head, "Nothing. Whoever he is, he's very technologically advanced. I can't even find evidence that a message was transmitted at all."  
  
"Onegai," Tensei pleaded, "Help me find this man. I won't betray you, because...." she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath in attempt to steady her voice, "I have everything to lose. I will do whatever it takes to get Musha back."   
  
Sally thought for a moment, and looked around the room, silently asking for approval.   
  
Duo shrugged, "Why not? Besides, if you ARE a traitor, it adds to the adventure."  
  
Neither Hiiro nor Wufei made any attempt to answer. They each looked as if they were lost in their own torture.  
  
"Fine." Hiiro said plainly, finally breaking the silence, "Whatever it takes." 'To save Relena...' he finished mentally.  
  
Wufei was still lost in his own world, 'I was with her. I should have stayed with her. This is my fault. She may be hurt. Argh! Why do I care anyway?!'   
  
"Wufei?" Sally asked, a bit concerned.  
  
Wufei shook his head, snapping out of his trance, "With your permission, I would like to lead the rescue mission for Eien Musha."  
  
"Demo-" Tensei broke in, but Wufei cut her off.  
  
"I expect that you will be in your Gundam? Fighting the enemy?"  
  
Tensei sighed. He was right. She was the only one who had a Gundam to fight with. She simply nodded.  
  
"Now, Tensei," Sally began, "If we're going to work together, we can't have any more secrets. Can you please explain why you two are here in the first place?"  
  
Tensei nodded, "Like the former pilots, Musha and I have been trained to pilot Gundams, as well as learned advanced techniques in hand to hand combat, hacking, and other such necessities. We have been training for the past twelve years."  
  
Duo's jaw dropped, "Twelve years?! Who trained you? Your parents?!"  
  
Tensei's eyes darkened at this question, "We were trained by Master U. He is a great teacher, and brought us up to be strong, and fearless."  
  
"Why weren't you involved in Operation Meteor?" Quatre wondered aloud, "We had no knowledge of any other Gundam pilots."  
  
Tensei shook her head, "It was meant to be that way. We represent the colonies as well, but we were top secret. The colonies' back-up plan. Not even your own scientists know about us. Master U made sure to keep us a secret so that we could never be drafted into Operation Meteor. It was imperative that we be preserved for such an event as is happening right now.  
  
We joined the Preventers on a mission to protect Relena Peacecraft, a mission that we obviously failed." she lowered her gaze to the floor, "And now, the enemy has Musha. If he does, in fact, have control over her and StarsFury, the earth is in grave danger, especially Relena Peacecraft."  
  
"What can we do, then?" Hiiro asked, his voice almost demanding.  
  
"First," Tensei began, "You must heighten the security in Miss Relena's room. Ten guards, minimum, around the clock. They MUST be armed and well trained."  
  
Sally nodded, "We'll do that right away. What else?"  
  
"We have to get in there and get Musha back. No number of armed guards can defeat StarsFury."  
  
"All right." Sally said, looking around to everyone, "Let's get to work."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Enter." Akki answered, smirking as someone knocked on the door to his office. The door was promptly opened and in stepped two figures. The first, one of his soldiers, the second, a young woman, her long, curly blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid, her violet eyes flaming. She wore a pure black uniform, similar to the blue ones that Akki's soldiers wore.  
  
Akki grinned, "Welcome, Hoshi. Do you remember who I am?"  
  
Hoshi gave him a questioning glance, "My Lord?" she bowed respectfully.  
  
Akki smirked, "Yes. That's right. I am your master. You take orders from no one but me, do you understand?"  
  
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. What does my lord wish of me?"  
  
"In ten hours, if the Preventers have not destroyed Relena Peacecraft and handed over pilot, Hikari, you will attack the earth with StarsFury."  
  
"Hikari?" Hoshi asked curiously, a familiar feeling fleeting through her mind, but it was quickly suppressed.   
  
"Your mission is to make sure that Relena Peacecraft and Hikari are dead, do you understand?" Akki ordered her.  
  
Hoshi nodded, As you wish, my lord." She looked down to the ground for a moment, staring at it curiously.  
  
"You may return to your quarters now, Hoshi." Akki said calmly, "I will call you once you are needed."  
  
Hoshi nodded, "Hai, my lord." Without another word, she left the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The former pilots, Sally and Tensei sat at the conference table in the Preventers office, dread and uncertainty thick in the air. Tensei had changed into her Preventers uniform, which was only fitting at this time. Now it was time to get down to business.  
  
"We don't have much time," Tensei began, "Is there any way to find out just where Musha is being held? It would be much easier if we could launch a surprise attack."  
  
Sally shook her head, "We've tried everything. We have to wait for them to come to us."  
  
Wufei frowned, "So we have eleven hours to form a plan."  
  
"No problem, Wu-man!" Duo shouted, trying to seem cheery, despite the hopeless situation, "That's plenty of time for us!"  
  
Wufei glared, but otherwise ignored Duo's comment, he was in no mood for an argument right now. "Do you think that Musha will be with them when they come for you and Relena?"  
  
Tensei nodded, "She's their insurance. There's no way that they'd leave her out."  
  
"How about this then," Quatre broke in, "We will send them a message, informing them that we accept their offer. Sally, Trowa and I will take Miss Tensei to them, as if we were going to turn her over. In the meantime, the three of you will find a way to get Musha back."  
  
"You'll have to take her by force." Tensei added, "She's very strong, and she'll fight to the end. You may have to drug her."  
  
Quatre was amazed at how calm Tensei seemed to be. She said these things as if Musha was someone that she had never met before in her life. He knew that Musha meant the world to her. How could her soul be so strong? Was her training so rigorous that she could have learned to hold her emotions so? It was one of the saddest things that he had ever seen. While her exterior was cool and confident, he could see right through her. She may be a warrior, but she was also human. A young girl, forced to grow up much before her time, her life taken away from her. Now, she had to bear being separated from her best friend.   
  
Her eyes betrayed her sadness, and he wanted nothing more at that moment to tell her that everything was going to be all right, even though he couldn't promise it.  
  
"Just.... try not to hurt her too much..." her voice trailed.  
  
That was it. Quatre could see Tensei's eyes fill with sadness, and he felt like he would explode if he didn't look away from her soon.  
  
"Don't worry." came a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. To Quatre's shock, it was Wufei who had offered words of assurance, but he himself sounded unsure. Ever since the news of Musha's capture, neither Tensei nor Wufei looked the same.  
  
Wufei looked.... distant. Lost in his own melancholy. Quatre's space heart could feel his pain, to the point that it was almost unbearable. Wufei had always been a proud man. Nothing, but nothing could hinder him. But for some reason, this last hour had proved his perception of Wufei terribly wrong.  
  
"I will make sure that she is not harmed." Wufei said.  
  
Tensei nodded, not even bothering to put on her happy mask. She couldn't anymore.  
  
'Why?!' Wufei thought to himself, 'Why is this happening?! One of our own... not just that, but Musha of all people! I should never have left her!!! I swear, no harm will come to her, and if any does, whoever is responsible will pay with their lives.'  
  
"So it's a plan then?" Sally asked as everyone nodded, "All right." she said, nodding as well, "All of you   
  
go home and get some rest. I want to see everyone here in eight hours."  
  
Tensei nodded and stood up, smiling weakly, "Thank you all so much." she said, her voice barely above a   
  
whisper, "You're all good people." She felt kind of silly saying that, but she didn't know what else she   
  
could say. She didn't expect them to help her so readily.  
  
Without another word, she left the room.  
  
"Strange girl..." Duo murmured, standing up himself, "I'm going to go have myself a well deserved nap   
  
before we go kick some bad-guy ass." he grinned as he grabbed his coat, "See y'all later!"   
  
Quatre shook his head and got up as well, "See you all soon." he said before following Duo out of the room.   
  
He walked silently through the halls, and out into the street, beginning his walk home, when he spotted a familiar car right out front, and a familiar girl in the driver's seat. She wasn't moving, she just stared straight ahead. The tinted windows made it hard to make out her face, but he could tell that something wasn't right.   
  
Mustering up as much courage as he possibly could, he walked up to her car and gently tapped on the window. There was a long pause, so he assumed that she didn't even hear the knock. Just as he lifted his hand to try again, Tensei rolled her window down, and looked up at him. He could see that she did a lousy job of disguising her tears. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were accented with bright red streaks.  
  
"Gomen ne, Miss Tensei." Quatre said, blushing slightly, "I just came to see if you were all right."  
  
Tensei forced a smile, "It's just Tensei, remember?" her voice was a bit shaky.  
  
Quatre nodded, looking slightly concerned as she turned the key in the ignition and the car didn't start up. She sat back in her seat and groaned. "I'm such an idiot..." she muttered.  
  
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, "Can I help you in any way?"  
  
Tensei shook her head sadly, "I left everything on when I got here. I was in too much of a rush. The battery is dead." she opened the door, and Quatre stood back to let her out. Locking up the car, she turned to face Quatre. "Anyway," she began, taking a deep breath, "Thank you for your concern. I'll see you in a few hours, ne?"  
  
Quatre nodded, and stared at her for a moment as she walked off, then he took a step forward, "Matte yo!"  
  
Tensei paused and turned around to face him, "Nande?"  
  
"Ano, Miss Tensei.... er, Tensei, Do you live far from here? I could give you a ride home if you like."  
  
Tensei smiled weakly, and shook her head, "Arigato, demo, I don't live far." she lied. It's not that she didn't want his company, it that she wanted it so much that it scared her. With Musha gone, she felt.... alone, and afraid. Musha was her source of strength. Now, there was a void, and she didn't know what to do.   
  
"Then let me walk you, Tensei." Quatre offered, stepping even closer, "It's getting dark, and I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
Tensei shook her head again, "No, I'm fine, really. I'm a gundam pilot, remember?" she forced another smile, which Quatre easily read through.  
  
The young Arab's eyes softened, "Tensei..." he said quietly, this time stepping right up beside her, "You shouldn't be alone right now. You're hurting, I can feel it."  
  
Again, her mask shattered into a million pieces, and she broke down in tears. "Why is this happening?! WHY?!" she screamed, dropping to her knees, asking him as if he could actually answer her. She knew that he didn't know why, but it brought her comfort just to pretend that he did.  
  
"Tensei.." he knelt down beside her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He couldn't tell her that everything would be all right, because even he himself didn't know. All he could do was be there for her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hoshi walked silently into her room. Her room? No, but it was. She wasn't sure. She felt... confused. Something didn't feel quite right. She sighed as she walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. "Who am I?" she whispered to herself. Her voice sounded small and weak. She shook her head, "I am Hoshi, warrior of the stars." she said to herself, straightening out.  
  
Stepping back, she lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She felt strange for some reason. Something was missing, but what? Closing her eyes, she lost herself in her thoughts, drifting into the silence of sleep.  
  
Hoshi opened her eyes and found herself in a strangely familiar room. The decor was no doubt, traditional Chinese. Vases and fans, paintings with Chinese characters. She had never seen anything like this, yet, somehow... she had.  
  
A small girl ran into the room, and looked up at Hoshi. "Who are you?" she asked curiously to the stranger, yet not seeming at all alarmed.  
  
"Hoshi..." she answered, staring at the girl intently. 'I know her from somewhere...' she thought to herself.  
  
"I'm Samantha Ling." the small girl smiled as one of her small hands reached up to twirl one of her golden curls around her finger, "Why are you in my house? Are you lost?"  
  
Hoshi shook her head, "I... don't know."  
  
"Well," Samantha said, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow, "I hope you bring no ill intentions, otherwise I'll have to fight with you. I really don't want to hurt you, Miss Hoshi."  
  
Hoshi couldn't help but laugh quietly. This girl was certainly very brave. "Don't worry," she assured the small girl, "I mean no harm. I'm just not quite sure where I am. Could you tell me, where are we?"  
  
"In Beijing, silly!"  
  
'Beijing?' Hoshi wondered to herself, "China?"  
  
"Of course! Well, we used to live on L5, but it's not safe there because of the war, so we moved here!" Before Hoshi had a chance to react, Samantha grabbed hold of her hand, "Come! See my room!"  
  
Hoshi smiled, "All right...." she followed the little girl into a room in the back of the house. The walls were painted black, with golden stars scattered all over. "So you like stars, ne?" she asked, slightly amused.  
  
Samantha nodded, "Hai! I LOVE stars, in fact....." she ran over to a small chest on the nightstand beside her bed, and opened it up, pulling something out and clutching it in her hand. Walking back up to Hoshi, she opened her hand to her, "Papa gave this to me for my sixth birthday! Isn't it beautiful?"  
  
Hoshi gasped as she looked at the item in the girl's hand. It was a necklace with a star-shaped pendant. Reaching up to her own neck, she fingered her own star pendant. They were exactly alike!  
  
Samantha gasped, "Wow! You have the very same one!"  
  
"SAMANTHA!!" a woman's voice shouted from downstairs, "It's time to eat now!"  
  
Samantha gasped, "You have to leave quickly! Papa won't be happy if he finds I brought a friend here. They don't let any visitors come to see me. I don't know why though...." she trailed off, but smiled again, "Anyway, can you climb well? You can escape out my window!"  
  
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. Arigato."  
  
Samantha smiled, "All right, here.." she opened the window and looked out, "It's kinda high, but you can do it! It'll be a great adventure!" Arigato, Miss Hoshi! It was very nice having you!"  
  
Hoshi smiled, "I enjoyed it."  
  
"Will you come again?"  
  
"Ano... I can try, I suppose." she wasn't sure what she was saying. She had to get back to Akki and complete her mission, but something told her that she belonged here. She climbed out the window and smiled up at Samantha. "Ja matta ne!"  
  
"Ja!"  
  
Hoshi walked slowly towards what looked like a town nearby. As she walked, she realized that the house was set far back, very inconvenient. She thought nothing of it, and continued to walk.  
  
Snap.  
  
'What was that?' Hoshi wondered, whirling around. She saw nothing, but she could have sworn that she had heard something! Suddenly, she saw something move in the shadows. She ran quickly and his herself behind a large tree. Once there, she looked out to see shadows, quickly making their way towards the house. "Nani?!" she whispered to herself, focusing on the shadows. They were human! What was going on?  
  
Hoshi didn't know what to do. She stood there and watched, confused. While her instincts told her to fight, her body wouldn't allow it. She felt something.... fear?  
  
Only moments later did she hear a woman's scream. That was it, she was on full alert now. 'IIE!!' he mind screamed, 'I shouldn't have just stood there!'  
  
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, when she heard two gunshots. Her eyes widened in fear. 'Iie......IIE!!!' Faster and faster, until she finally reached the house. She got there just in time to see little Samantha being dragged outside, kicking and screaming and crying frantically.  
  
"SAMANTHA!!!" Hoshi shouted, running towards the girl. She had almost reached her when the house exploded, throwing her backwards. She hit her head on a rock, and fell unconscious.   
  
Hoshi bolted straight up in her bed and gasped. She looked around her room as she breathed heavily. "A dream..." she whispered to herself, "It was all a dream....."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre sighed as he put down his book and looked up at the grandfather clock in his library. Almost time to go. He wanted to get some sleep, but he just couldn't. Not now. There was too much on his mind.  
  
He had ended up taking Tensei back to his home. By the time she had finished crying, she was barely strong enough to support herself, so he brought her right home and set her up in one of his guest rooms.  
  
He had gone to check on her a couple of times, though each time that he did, he found her tossing and turning, fitfully rolling across the bed. He couldn't stand to see someone go through so much pain. Yet.... her admired her.   
  
We all take our friends for granted, but Tensei and Musha knew just how important a friend was. He knew nothing of their pasts, besides the fact that they too were Gundam pilots, but none of them ever spoke of any other friends or family. All he could assume is that they only had each other.  
  
Quietly, Quatre got up and walked to Tensei' room, sneaking inside and walking up beside the bed. "Tensei..." he said gently, "It's time..."  
  
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Quatre and smiled weakly, "Arigato..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Peace. Calm. Silence. These three were rare in these days of war, but still, Chang Wufei found his escape. Most would vent stress through fits, maybe even violence, but Wufei would take himself to a secluded little spot in a nearby forest and meditate. It was his one true escape.  
  
In the last few hours, many familiar emotions resurfaced. Feelings that he hadn't felt since... since he lost her.  
  
Shutting his eyes tightly, he turned his face to the side, willing himself to suppress these memories. It was years ago, and there was nothing that he could do about it. But why was he suddenly feeling as if he could?  
  
"Meiran is dead." he said aloud to himself, no one but himself hearing his words. He had found himself reminding himself over and over. Why did he feel this way now? After all this time? He felt a certain... protectiveness.  
  
Shaking his head, he stood up. He knew that it was time. Taking a moment to look up at the stars, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Musha.... We will rescue you."  
  
He began his journey back to the Preventer base, the whole time, thinking about his upcoming mission. Why was it so important this time? What made this mission different than any others? Well, for one thing, he was out to rescue, not destroy. But still. What were these strangely familiar emotions building up inside of him? He wanted them out. They confused him, he didn't know what to make of them.  
  
With a sigh, he picked up his pace, determined to make it to his meeting on time.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre and Tensei walked silently into the conference room. He didn't even attempt to make conversation, now was just not the time. Even if he had, would she have heard him? Every time he stole a glance at her, she looked distant, lost.  
  
"Miss Tensei," a fellow Preventer greeted them as they entered the room, "There's a call for you on the main line. He calls himself Master U?"  
  
Tensei's eyes widened. She did NOT feel like talking to him, or, being yelled at rather. With a sigh, she nodded her head, "All right. Arigato."  
  
The man looked at her, a bit quizically, "He wants to speak to you on a private line."  
  
Tensei shook her head, "No. He can tell me with everyone else here. I am a Preventer, and whatever he says will, no doubt, will relate to this mission. I'll inform him, just put him on the main line."  
  
"All right..."   
  
They took a seat at the conference table, where everyone else sat, waiting. Moments later, master U's face appeared on the screen. It was obvious from his facial statement that he was very angry.  
  
"I wanted this on a private line!" he barked, "Where is that baka?!"  
  
"I told him to put it on the main line! I am working with the Preventers now, any information you wish to share with me can be shared with them too!" Tensei shouted, the fire returning to her eyes.  
  
"Tensei!" Master U growled, "How dare you-?!?!"  
  
"Excuse me, sir." Sally said, a bit annoyed, "Will you please keep your temper down?"  
  
Master U glared, "Tensei is my soldier, she will take orders from ME and Me only!"  
  
This time, Quatre stepped up, "U-san, Tensei is no longer your concern. She has been officially installed as a Preventer. She swore an oath of loyalty to the Preventers which disables her to take orders from any outside sources involving our cases."  
  
"Don't play that game with me! You know who she really is! Her intention was NEVER to join the Preventers as a permanent! She was a spy!"  
  
"NOT ANY MORE, MASTER U!!" Tensei shouted angrilly, "I've had it with you and the disrespect that you show us! Musha and I work our asses off, yet it's NEVER good enough! True, I may not be as loyal as you like, but I'm stepping out for MYSELF now! You are NOT my boss! You never were! You don't own me! I can make my own decisions!"  
  
"Tensei..." his voice softened a bit, "Would you betray your own father?" He smirked inwardly, knowing that this little phrase always got her. She could resist the yelling, but she couldn't say no when he spoke affectionately.  
  
"You're not my father...." Tensei said through clenched teeth, surprising everyone, including herself. She had never been the one to stand up. Musha had always been the stronger one, always jumping to her defense when things got heated. But now, Musha was gone. She had to rely on herself. "Now say what you have to say and let us get to work."  
  
Master U fought back a cry of frustration, but stopped it all together when he got his wits together. Yelling at her would not win her back. He may have lost her for this time being, but he would get her back. He had plans for her and Musha, and he was determined to carry them out.  
  
"Fine.." he said, his voice surprisingly calm, "Go ahead and try to save Musha. I wish you luck, but there is something that you need to know. It's about Kaikou."  
  
"What about Kaikou?"  
  
"I have installed a new program called the Omega system. It's similar to the zero system, but stronger. You only have three minutes of use before the pilot blacks out."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened, "That's inhumane!!! How could you create such a thing?!"  
  
Master U's face remained impassive, "War is a dirty sport, boy. You should know that very well, ne?"  
  
"So, StarsFury has it as well, ne?" Wufei asked, slightly in shock.  
  
Master U nodded, "Should Kaikou and StarsFury engage in battle, it will be short-lived."  
  
"So that's what happened to me the other day?" Master U nodded as Tensei hardened her eyes. "All right... Three minutes then.... But I can only hope that it will not come to a battle.... I can't fight Musha..."  
  
"You are weak, Tensei!!!" Master U accused, "You let yourself get an attachment, and now, she is your enemy!"  
  
"NOT my enemy!!!" Tensei shouted, angrily.  
  
Master U sighed, "Fine. Just remember, Tensei, a soldier without attachments is the deadliest." Those were his last words before he closed the link.  
  
"Nice guy..." Duo said sarcastically, "Looks like a real winner."  
  
"Forget him." Tensei said bitterly, "We have work to do."   
  
Sally nodded, "All right. We'll head over right now. Tensei, take Kaikou and wait for us there."  
  
"Right. Ja!" without another word, she ran out of the room.  
  
"Be careful..." Quatre whispered, watching her retreating form.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Akki smirked as he looked at Hoshi. She looked angry, bitter. Perfect. She could unleash all of that anger on the battle field and destroy Hikari. "Go and get StarsFury ready." he ordered calmly.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Just in case, Hoshi. We won't know for sure until they give us our answer, now will we?"  
  
Hoshi shook her head, "All right."   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tesnei sighed as she looked at her watch. Ten minutes left. 'Where are they?' her mind screamed as she paced back and forth along the road. Taking one last glance up, she nodded to herself, content that Kaikou was safely hidden.   
  
Her attention was brought to a black car coming down the road. 'Finally...' she thought, stepping out to the car as it stopped beside her.   
  
"Ready to go?" Sally asked, opening the door and stepping out.  
  
Tensei nodded, "I have to get ready first though."  
  
Sally nodded to Quatre who got out slowly, holding a pair of handcuffs. 'What if she can't escape...' he thought as he hesitantly walked up beside Tensei. With a sigh, he looked over to her, regret shining through his eyes. "Are you sure that there's no other way? What if you don't make it out?"  
  
Tensei frowned, "Quatre, they won't believe this unless it's apparent that I put up a struggle. I've been trained to die before handing myself over to the enemy, and they know that."  
  
Quatre sighed in defeat, "All right." he took her wrists behind her and snapped the cuffs on.  
  
"Tighter." Tensei ordered, "Not until I tell you to stop."  
  
Quatre opened his mouth to protest, but he knew that she wouldn't change her mind. Very slowly, he tightened the clasps. Tighter and tighter to the point where he could see that he hands were turning pale. She didn't ask him to stop until the metal was cutting through her skin.  
  
"Ready?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly.  
  
"Hai.." Sally said, regretting that they had no other way to do this, "Let's go."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Wufei closed his eyes and sighed as he sat low behind a bush nearby the capitol building. Duo and Hiiro were hiding elsewhere, ready to jump at the first sign of Musha. They were hoping to find her even before Sally and the others arrived, but that wasn't likely.  
  
Click.  
  
Wufei's eyes widened as he felt something cold pressed to the back of his neck. "It's not nice to spy." a voice hissed behind him. He immediately recognized it.  
  
"Musha...." he said cooly.  
  
The girl shook her head, "Musha does not exist. I am Hoshi."  
  
Wufei closed his eyes, silently apologizing to her before bringing his arm around quickly, knocking the gun from Hoshi's grasp. "Fool! You let your guard down!" he shouted.  
  
Hoshi smirked, "Nomatter. I'll kill you anyway, pilot 05." 'What am I saying?' her mind struggled, 'I can't kill him.... No! I must!' She moved herself into a fighting stance and glared, "We will have an honorable fight. Or are you too cowardly?"  
  
Wufei smirked as well, "I am no coward, but I will defeat you, onna." he said as he moved himself into his own fighting stance.  
  
Tension surrounded them until finally, Hoshi made a move. Jumping high in the air, she aimed a kick right for his chest.   
  
Wufei dodged her expertly, whipping his fist around to connect with her stomach. Her eyes widened in pain and Wufei closed his own eyes, 'I am sorry...'  
  
Hoshi took that moment of distraction to knock him onto the ground. She stood over him, a triumphant look on her face. "Now who's letting their guard down?"  
  
Wufei swung his legs around, knocking Hoshi's feet out from under her. However, he didn't take into consideration just where she would fall. Next thing he knew, Hoshi's body fell right on top of his, their faces just inches apart.  
  
"Baka!" Hoshi hissed, standing up immediately.  
  
After snapping out of his confusion, Wufei too jumped up and glared, "Surrender, onna. You know that you won't win this."  
  
Hoshi grinned, "I have no intention of surrendering, but it seems that at this time, you have no desire to surrender to me, so I'll see you later. I have to go meet your friends now. It's time for my master to get the glory that he deserves." Without another word, she took off her earring and threw it to the ground, a cloud of smoke rising around her, giving her just enough time to escape.  
  
Wufei stood there, dumbfounded. "Why did I let her go?!?! Kuso!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hiiro pulled the car up in front of the capitol building, allowing Sally to step out. Her eyes locked with a familiar man and she approached him, unconsciously reaching her hand to her side, confirming that her gun was, indeed still there.  
  
"Good afternoon, Miss Po." the man said, a faint smirk could be detected on his lips. "I hope that you have some good news for me."  
  
Sally nodded, "Hai. Hikari is in the car."  
  
Akki smiled, "And what of Relena Peacecraft."  
  
Sally closed her eyes, pretending to look regretful, "We let her go last night. The media doesn't know yet"  
  
"Very well. Meet me in the courtyard with Hikari."  
  
Sally nodded and walked back to the car, sitting inside next to Hiiro. "The courtyard." was all she said. Hiiro nodded, and drove around to the back of the building. When they arrived, they saw that it was empty. No one there but Akki.  
  
"Are you ready?" Sally asked Tensei as she looked back to her.  
  
Tensei just nodded.  
  
"All right. Let's go."  
  
The four exited the car, and Quatre grabbed Tensei by the arms. She took her cue and pretended to pull against him. "Let me go, you kusoyaro!!!" she shouted, playing her role expertly.  
  
Hiiro took her other arm and helped Quatre drag her forward as she kicked and yelled. Sally lead them to Akki who grinned at their arrival. "Welcome, Miss Hikari. We've been waiting for you."  
  
Tensei's eyes widened. "We?"  
  
"Good afternoon, Hikari." Hoshi smirked as she stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes locking with Tensei's.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Okie... this is the part where Musha & I get on our hands & knees and BEG for reviews! I mean.. we really need them....*laughs nervously* 


	8. A Warrior's Weakness

Authors' Notes: It's us again! Mwahaha!!! I'm actually posting mroe often now..*laughs nervously* I always seem to have a few chapters just lying around, waiting to be posted.... but what can I say? I'm lazy! Anyhoo, here is another AMAZING chapter by Musha! *claps* Everyone know this: SHE ROCKS! Feel free to e-mail her and tell her so. ^^v  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
'They say that eyes at the windows to the soul' Thought Tensei dazedly, her eyes locked with Hoshi's. 'Kami.. Musha. Where's your soul, what's happened to you?' She knew that it was true, that the eyes could tell and show all. They held no secrets. Her and Musha had communicated with a mere glance so many times in the past during their training. They knew each other's souls. And that's what made them such strong allies, such incredible friends.  
  
But now…  
  
'Those aren't her eyes.' Tensei had always been forgiving by nature. She hated to fight and she hated to kill even more so. But now. Now she would forget it all. For Musha, her only friend, her only ally, she would become the person Master U had always wanted her to be. 'Musha, I swear I make them pay for doing this.'  
  
Musha smirked, raising an eyebrow, before crocking her head to the side and looking at Akki. "It appears My Lord, that they are speechless." She snorted. "Is there really a point to fighting such weak warriors?"  
  
'This isn't right.' Thought Quatre quietly, willing his hands to keep a firm hold on Tensei. 'They're friends, allies, sisters even. They shouldn't have to fight each other. It isn't…right.'   
  
Sally stepped forwards once again, looking at the man called Akki. She could see Hiiro and Quatre, but had no idea where Trowa, Duo and Wufei were. All she could hope for was that they were ready. "We've kept our end of the bargain Akki. We have your assurance that the colonies and the Earth will be kept safe?"  
  
"Miss Po, you are the leader of the organization known as the Preventers ne?" He reached forward, taking the shocked Tensei into his grasp. "For one who leads such a powerful organization. You are far to trusting."  
  
"Nani!?"  
  
Then, Hoshi struck. In the blink of an eye, Sally was rendered useless, as a gun was being pointed directly between her eyes.  
  
Akki turned and shouted towards the shadows. "Gundam pilots! Don't try anything now, if you so much as make a move into this area, Sally Po will be killed!"  
  
***  
  
'Kuso. We didn't predict this…KUSO!' Duo stood frozen from the shadows, watching. It was all he could really do now. His gun was held in his grasp, unmoving and useless. What good was it now?  
  
They couldn't sacrifice Sally Po. Not so much the fact that it was a human life, but Sally was also a key member, in maintaining the peace of the Unified Nation. If she was gone then the peace itself could be shattered.   
  
'Then again.' He thought to himself grimly. 'It appears that the entire nation is collapsing on its own now.' Relena Peacecraft was in a coma, a new war was breaking out, two new Gundams had come into existence, one of them was now an enemy, and Sally Po was being held at gun point. And there was nothing Duo could do to change it.  
  
He'd always tried to be the joker. In war, there was never time for joy, or regret. You were faced with the constant fact that you could be killed in less than an instant, that the blood of thousands of civilians could stain your hands if you made the wrong choice.  
  
He'd experienced that first hand when he'd assassinated a group of pacifists with Hiiro, thinking that they were key leaders for the Oz organization. So he'd taken it upon himself, to always joke, and always try to lighten the mood. After all, if you were about to die, then why worry about it? You may as well enjoy your last few moments of life, before Shinigami came to claim you. Solo had taught him that. Life was too short to always be worrying about dying. If you would die, you would die. Enjoy your last minutes alive and try to find happiness in them.  
  
But now… now. What could he joke about? Not even he himself, could find a light point to this moment. 'Is this really it? After all that death, all of the fighting. Are we going to loose? Just like that?  
  
And so, the god of death did the only thing he could do at the present moment. He continued to watch, and wait.  
  
***  
  
Trowa sat in a tree; he had a birds eye view of the scene before him. His one visible green eye was open, strategizing. Taking in every little detail almost unconsciously. From his position, he'd seen Hiiro and Quartre drag Tensei towards Akki. He'd observed Musha, or rather, Hoshi, step out of the shadows. He'd witnessed the moment, when Tensei was thrown into the arms of the man known as Akki. And he'd regarded the instant, that Hoshi had placed a gun to Sally's head. He was trained, to make it out of the most difficult situations possible.  
  
And so, he watched, strategizing, waiting, prepared. There was nothing he could do. The thought came to him before he could stop it; it invaded his mind and took control of his thoughts. There was nothing. 'How could I have not realized this? I knew that Akki was very technologicaly advanced. Tensei even admitted to the fact that he had placed spies within the Preventers base. Of course someone would have overheard our plan.'  
  
An old saying, drifted throughout his mind and head. 'The walls have ears.' His eyes narrowed faintly, as he remembered the soldier that had run into the conference room, to tell them that Hikari had broken into the Preventers base for a second time.  
  
'Damnit, we were careless. And now, that carelessness could cost us, everything.'  
  
He'd had no name. As far back as he could remember, he'd been known as Nanashi. No name. He'd been a wanderer, and drifter, always watching, always prepared. It was a lonely life, but it was the only one he knew. Then, he had become a mechanic for a machine, an incredible machine that was called a Gundam. He'd been drawn to the device, a feeling in his soul that he couldn't possibly deny. And it was there, as a mechanic, that he'd met Midii Une. He'd let his guard down, he'd stopped watching, stopped strategizing, when he met her. He allowed himself to trust her. It proved to be a mistake. Betrayal.   
  
So now, it was what he did. Forever watching, strategizing, waiting. He knew, that there was someone that was always willing to betray them, no matter how trusting they seemed. So he'd become the watcher for the team, always prepared for something like that.  
  
'So why.' Thought the boy known as the Silencer. 'Didn't I see this?'  
  
***  
  
Hiiro struggled to keep his hands from shaking. He'd only failed two missions before. One that involved destroying a mobile suit base, it had cost thousands of people their lives when it backfired. Including a young girl and her dog, whom had given him a flower.  
  
The other had been when he'd made a mistake and had killed a group of pacifists, thinking they were powerful Oz leaders. That mistake and thrust the world deeper into a war.  
  
And now… now he'd messed up again, failed another mission. And this time, the mistake might cost him the only thing that mattered to him in the entire world.  
  
'Relena.'  
  
How many times had he tried to push her away? To convince himself, as well as her, that he didn't want or need her. That he was fine being the perfect soldier that he had always been, and would remain fine without her in his life. He'd done everything he could do in his power to keep her away from him, from, making her way into his heart. He'd threatened her, hurt her, and even…he swallowed visibly…tried to kill her.   
  
But despite everything, she'd still found her way into his heart. And she'd made him realize how much he needed her. 'And it could be my fault, that she could die.'  
  
Doctor J had trained him as long as he could remember. Trained to be the pilot of a gundam, to show no emotions. He'd killed thousands of people and his father himself, had been the assassin that had killed the original Hiiro Yui. It was in his blood to kill. But he didn't want it to be that way anymore. He was known as the perfect soldier, but what good was it to be perfect, if he couldn't save the one person that meant more than life itself to him.  
  
The soldier within him was telling him to forget about Sally, to forget about the risk of dying, and to complete the mission and kill Akki…but that could mean that Relena could be killed as well. It was only the fact, that Relena was still alive, that there was still a way to save her, that kept him from surrendering to his training again. The human in him told him not to fight, not to risk Sally Po's life, and not to risk Relena's.  
  
And so, the Perfect Soldier and the boy known as Hiiro Yui, stood there, watching. Each side arguing about what should be done.  
  
***  
  
'No…NO!'  
  
Quartre could feel the pain, the anguish off everyone around him. All of their emotions, he could feel all of them through his space heart. It was his gift, as well as his curse. But, for once in his life, he really didn't care.  
  
He'd always believed that he was a test tube baby. That it really didn't matter, what happened to him because his father could create another one easily? But then he'd found out the truth, that his mother had died bringing him into the world. And that fact alone, had taught him how precious life was. So he'd become a Gundam pilot, to help protect that beautiful life, and the beautiful earth. He'd made a vow, that he would help to protect everyone and everything, and help people. It had been harder than he'd originally planned and his life had become somewhat of a journey. He'd struggled to protect the innocent, and help people to realize the beauty of the world, and of life. The Gentle Desert Noble. Through that, his space heart had grown, he'd become a Gundam pilot, met up with four other boys that were just like him yet so different, he'd helped to unite them, and then found peace with them.  
  
'They said I was their leader.' He thought foggily. The thought invading his mind before he could stop it. 'Some leader I turned out to be.'   
  
Then, the peace had been shattered, and he'd met a girl. A girl who had been forced to shed her innocence, and grow up far too fast. A girl like himself. Tensei Jiaino, that's what she had called herself. A girl without a past, without a family, utterly alone except for one girl. The first time that he'd met her, he'd felt her confusion, her fear, her pain, and her anger.   
  
He'd wanted to help her, to ..To protect her from all harm. To tell her, that everything would be okay.  
  
And now, all hell had broken loose.  
  
'Iie, Iie…Tensei. '  
  
Sally was being held at gunpoint, Tensei was in the hands of Akki and Kami knew what he was going to do to her. He didn't want to think about what he was going to do to her.  
  
'I have to do something. I can't let Tensei be hurt I just can't….'  
  
He didn't know the feelings that were swimming within his heart and soul, all he knew was that for once in his life, he didn't' care about anyone else. All that mattered was that Tensei was saved. He'd only felt this once before, when his father had been murdered because of his colony. For the second time in his life, the gentle desert noble was about to become something much different.  
  
***  
  
"Nani!!!"  
  
Seven sets of eyes shot up towards the voice that had broken the thick silence, and all of them were rendered speechless by what they saw.  
  
Hoshi's gun lay useless on the ground, where she'd dropped it out of surprise. One hand was pulled behind her back, where Wufei held it. His dark eyes flaming with unreadable emotions, as he held a long katana blade to Hoshi's throat.  
  
***  
  
He couldn't do it, and he knew it. He could only hope was that no one else here, would call his bluff. He'd reacted before he could have given himself time to think. There was too much at stake, too much. Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft, the very peace itself could be shattered. And so, he'd reacted.  
  
'I'm sorry….'  
  
Hoshi stood unmoving within his grasp. Her eyes wide with surprise and shock, one hand held tightly behind her back where he held it, and his Katana blade held merely an inch away from her throat.  
  
Wufei struggled to will himself to stop shaking. Merian was dead; she'd died in his arms. The fact felt heavy within his mind now. There had been nothing he could have done to save her, but he'd done everything he could have done, to convince himself that he'd been worthy of her. He'd given up on his life as a scholar, he'd taught himself how to pilot a gundam, and how to fight, he'd renamed his gundam after her, he'd searched for justice in the world, and he swore that he would never feel anything for another again. So, why was it now? That the barriers that had kept him the solitary dragons all these years, were finally breaking?  
  
'I'm sorry.' He thought again, he's eyes glued to the back of Hoshi's, iie, Musha's head. It was in that position that the solitary dragon was standing in when all hell broke loose.  
  
***  
  
Tensei's heel flew up and connected with Akki's jaw. His grip faltered on her for only an instant, but that was all Tensei needed. She flew out of his grasp and with a flick of her wrist; the handcuffs fell off of her.  
  
"Iie!" Akki lunged for Tensei, but three bullet shots rang throughout the air and stopped him.   
  
"Going somewhere?" Duo smirked.  
  
Duo and Trowa had leapt through the air from their hiding spots, their guns still smoking from their recent use and Hiiro, with his eyes murderous, stood not ten feet from Akki, his gun still smoking as well.  
  
'Kuso.' Thought Akki bitterly. He was outnumbered and out gunned. It would be a death wish and out right foolish, if he was to continue with this plan. But Akki hadn't gotten to where he was today by being a coward.  
  
"Hoshi! Get to StarsFury. Destroy them all!"  
  
At first, Hoshi didn't hear him; her eyes remained distant and unfocused. A strange tingling sensation was rushing throughout her body, from the spot where Wufei, no, pilot 05 she reminded herself, was holding onto her. She couldn't move.  
  
'I don't understand this…I don't…what are these feelings….'  
  
Wufei held on to her, refusing to let go, his eyes still glued to the back of her head. They were running out of time.  
  
"I won't hurt you. Just surrender now, and I promise I'll make sure nothing happens to you. You have my word." His voice sounded, different. It was as if it was laced with something else…another emotion.  
  
'I could just stop fighting. Would that be the right thing? This feels so…right….should.. "NO! I have a mission!"  
  
The elbow of her free hand flew out and connected harshly with Wufei's stomach and tore out of his grasp. A gasp of surprise and pain sounded next to her ear and she felt him flinch with surprise, the action causing the katana blade at her throat to move, leaving a harsh scar along Hoshis neck.   
  
Without a second thought, she ran towards StarsFury. "I have a mission, and I will complete it or die trying!"  
  
"Baka Onna!"  
  
'Why does he care..He's the one that held the damn sword to my throat in the first place!' In one graceful motion, Hoshi was in the cockpit of StarsFury. Her fingers flew along the keys, and the vicious metal beast came to life without a sound.  
  
'Kuso! She's going to StarsFury!' Tensei's blood ran cold as the grim reality set in. She was going to have to fight her best friend, and her only ally. With the omega system. 'Kami…Can I do this? Can I fight my only friend?' A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned around to come face to face with Quatre, his eyes filled with concern, as well as, fear?  
  
"Go, we don't have much time. Only three minutes, remember." Quatre bent down and whispered into her ear, so she could hear him over the shots and screams of battle." You can do this, I believe in you."  
  
Tensei's eyes widened and she stared at Quartre in shock. "Arigato." Turning around quickly, she ran towards where she knew that her Gundam was waiting for her.  
  
***  
  
"Musha! Onegai! Listen to me!" Tensei's eyes were wide with fear and anger as she shouted into the communication system. "Musha!"  
  
"There is no Musha! My name is Hoshi! And you Hikari, are my enemy!"  
  
Then she saw it, the other gundam that had stood by her side for so long, it rose up from the shelter of the trees. In the past, Tensei had always only been able to see it as an ally, now she saw it in full detail.  
  
It was large, gold and black. Two wings that resembled dragon wings were stretched from the back. Although she couldn't see it, she knew that the missile launchers were inside the chest area, and that several guns as well as a flamethrower lay hidden within the left arm.  
  
'But, she won't use those.' She thought quietly, the omega system already starting to work on her, feeding her visions of the battle that was to be. 'No matter what Akki did to her memories, he can't change who Musha is. She'll want to defeat me using her skill as a pilot, and not rely on guns.' Her eyes rested on the double-sided beam saber in StarsFury's grasp.  
  
"Here goes everything…" With the push of a button, Kaikou was holding it's own beam saber. The two Gundams flew at each other.  
  
***  
  
"What is the point of this Akki? What do you hope to accomplish by doing this! You can't win!" Sally's voice had a frantic edge to it, as she stared at Akki.  
  
He sneered. "You fool. I'm sure you've realized it by now, Sally Po. Total democracy, peace, is but an illusion. An endless dream! It cannot be accomplished!  
  
"So what? You've given up on peace so you decided to start a war to kill everyone else?" Duo shouted, his gun pointed at point blank at Akki.  
  
They weren't taking any chances now. Duo, Trowa and Hiiro were all surrounding Akki. Guns ready. Sally stood before him, eyes dark with rage and anger.  
  
"Ah, my dear boy. I have no intention of killing all humans within a single battle. You see, peace can be achieved, and I plan to achieve it."  
  
Trowa narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning on doing? If peace cannot be achieved by democracy, how do you plan on achieving it?" In his heart he already knew the answer, but he could still hope.. that what his heart was telling him, was a lie.  
  
Akki smirked. "I plan on achieving peace by having all humans answer to one leader and one leader only. And, my dear boys, that leader will be me."  
  
Wufei's fists were clenched, his eyes glued to the battle between the two gundams. He couldn't hear, or feel anything else around him, only the battle before him. 'Musha.' His eyes narrowed as he heard Akki behind him and he turned to look at him. 'He'll pay…I swear…..'  
  
Quatre could feel their pain in his heart. The anguish that Tensei was feeling at having to fight her long time comrade, but what could he do to help her. 'Tensei.. This isn't right, no one should have to experience, what you're going through right now.'  
  
***  
  
Hoshi narrowed her eyes, her beam saber flashing out, only to be stopped by another one. "Give up Hikari! You cannot defeat me! I will destroy you!" Something within her broke at that thought. Destroy her? Why.. Why did that thought alone scare her so much?  
  
"Iie! Musha! Onegai! Listen to me! It's me Tensei!" She refused to fight her, blocking only when necessary. She could feel the omega system struggling to take control of her mind, telling her to fight back.  
  
Hoshi screamed, but whether it was of rage or something else, she wasn't sure. StarsFury moved closer to Kaikou, trying to destroy it, or at least get it to fight back. "Fight me!"  
  
"NO!" Tensei felt her vision blur. "NO! Musha! Please…please." Then, she felt it. The cold feeling within the back of her mind. Time had run out. The last thing that Tensei saw before she surrendered to the darkness that struggled to claim her soul, was StarsFury falling limp.  
  
***  
  
Quartre sighed softly, holding Tensei's hand within his own. He'd been expecting this; all of them had known it would happen. After three minutes, the omega system would render its two pilots unconscious, but it still hurt. He threw a quick glance around the base. No one else was in the room, other than him and the unconscious form of Tensei.  
  
'There is no rest for the weary Tensei. You've been through so much, and I'm afraid that you're probably going to have to go through much more before this battle is finished.'  
  
"He got away Tensei. Akki." He had no idea why he was talking to her now, she was unconscious and she couldn't hear him, but… "Gomen nasai but, everyone was so shocked when the two Gundams went down." He smiled faintly and leaned back in the chair, still watching her though, his eyes were still unable to look away.  
  
"Even though you told us what would happen with the Omega system, it still surprised us, and we didn't know how to react. After the two Gundams went down, all of us were stunned into silence. And…" he swallowed, and continued in a much softer voice. "And Akki took our moment of weakness, to escape. Duo and Hiiro chased after them for a long time but, he was gone."   
  
Quartre sighed again, his eyes once again searching around the room. If Duo came in and saw him like this, he would never stop teasing him about it. His comrade never ceased to find some sort of amusement, even in the most desperate of times. "The truth is Tensei. I admire you. You. You've been through so much, experienced so much hardship, and you still manage to remain innocent, and keep your sanity." His eyes softened. "You've. You have a strong will. And despite everything you've been through, you haven't lost hope. And…that's why I admire you so much. You're a very strong person."  
  
A soft, tired voice came from the supposed unconscious body next to his. "No I'm not. I'm just a confused girl who keeps on making mistakes."  
  
Quartre looked down at Tensei in surprise again, and his eyes found her own tired ones. She smiled faintly.  
  
"Quartre, why are you so nice to me? I owe you so much; you've been there for me so much over the last few days. Even when I tried to…hurt you. I don't deserve it.."  
  
"No." Quartre interrupted her, gently placing a finger over her lips. "Tensei, you're an incredibly strong person. And you deserve whatever happiness life has to offer you. After all the bloodshed you've seen, you've managed to keep your sanity, and remain innocent." He found himself unable to look away from her eyes, that feeling in his heart was thriving strongly now. "Tensei. I know you've been through a lot, and there is probably little I can do to help you now but…. I promise, I'll protect you."  
  
Tensei's eyes widened with surprise. "Quartre…"  
  
***  
  
Wufei cursed, rage unlike anything that he had ever felt before was swimming throughout his entire body. He'll kill him. He'd kill that weak coward Akki.  
  
She was hurt. He'd been able to tell that the second he'd taken her from StarsFury. Her heartbeat had been weak and she had barely been breathing. Apparently, that device that Akki had placed within her body was having some side effects on her health. He'd kill him.  
  
"Damnit."  
  
This wasn't fair. His eyes flickered over to her prone form again, just before he became lost within his own thoughts. This wasn't fair! He'd lost Merian, she'd died within his arms and there had been nothing he could have done about it. She'd breathed her last breath and then died, and then there had been nothing he could have done about it! He'd watched as someone he'd cared deeply for, just ceased to exist, while he could do little more than watch and now…now it was happening again.   
  
He shut his eyes, cursing himself again as he tried to will away the tears. He'd fought in the war; he'd avenged Merian's death! So why…WHY DAMNIT! 'Why does it have to happen again, why do I have to loose someone close to my heart again!'  
  
A soft groan came from the body lying on the bed and it surprised him so much, that he forgot the thought that had just flew through his mind.  
  
"Where the hell am I…What happened."  
  
In two quick steps, Wufei was next to her bed, sitting down in the chair that had been placed by it. "Don't move onna. You're still weak from the fight."  
  
"Violet eyes snapped open and hardened instantly, Hoshi shot up in bed, but almost fell down again as a wave of dizziness over came her.  
  
"Watch it." His hand flew out, supporting her back.  
  
"Baka onna! Listen to me for once!" He struggled to keep the smile off of his face. She was all right, she would okay.  
  
She struggled out of his grasp and glared darkly at him. "Don't' touch me pilot 05"  
  
His mouth ran dry. Even after all that…she was still under that kusoyaro's control!?  
  
'Iie..Kuso!'  
  
Hoshi got out of the bed and managed to stand up, on the opposite side that Wufei was on. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, he eyes hardening again. "I don't know what you planned on accomplishing, catching a single soldier." She smirked. "You really must be a fool then." She turned to the window, intent on jumping out of it and going back to Akki, when a grip like iron clamped down over her wrist.  
  
Hoshi's eyes widened. "Nani!" She turned around and found herself looking directly into black furious eyes. Their faces were inches apart.  
  
She pulled against his grip. "Let go of me, 05! I have a mission to complete!" Why was her face growing warm?  
  
"Baka onna." He growled out, his eyes swimming with dark emotions, his voice laced with that same strange sound that it had on the battlefield. "You're still injured."  
  
She snorted, refusing to look at his face. "No really? I hadn't noticed?" She finally managed to pull her arm free and stumbled back slightly, glaring again. "Why would you care if I'm injured anyway? I'm your enemy, your mission is to kill me." Her voice was deadly soft. Turning around, she had almost reached the window, when two hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, placing her back gently against the wall.  
  
"Baka onna." Wufei whispered softly, the anger gone from his voice and that emotion…. "Did you think for maybe a minute, that I didn't care about what you think your mission was, or mine?"  
  
And then, he was kissing her.  
  
***  
  
"DAMNIT!" Akki's fist slammed down on his desk, denting it. "DAMNIT! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"  
  
The scientist in the corner cowered in fear, the same one that had installed the device within Hoshi's head.  
  
"I-I don't know S-sir! It just happened n-now. The device I-in Hoshi just, s-stopped functioning and-"  
  
Akki's eyes turned murderous, his plan was falling apart. He'd been so close…so close… "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!"  
  
With a sound that sounded remarkably similar to an eep, the scientist scurried out of the room.  
  
A soft chuckle filled the area from behind Akki. He turned around, facing the shadows. "I fail to see what's so funny about this situation! For either of us! Or did you forget what will happen to you if our plan fails?!"  
  
"I warned you Akki." The voice spoke calmly. "You underestimated the ability of those two. They are strong."  
  
"Every human has a weakness."  
  
"Not them, they are the strongest. As they should be. They were trained by the best."  
  
Akki sighed. "Fine. We will be more careful. For now, I'll focus on strengthening our forces. The next shipment of mobile suits will be arriving in three days."  
  
"Very well." the other voice replied, "Lay low until then. Give those girls a chance to let their guards down."  
  
Akki bowed his head respectfully, "Hai, Master U."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Notes: Woo! Look at that! What in the heck is Master U doing there? This can't be good! (yes, I am hyper right now, so HA) Well, the next chapter will be on its way shortly. heck, it's already finished! We're just waiting for reviews. ^^v 


	9. Resurrection

Notes – Okay people! Things are getting HOT now! Hehehe. Anyhoo, this chapter came out real soon 'cuz, well, I have nothing better to do! I'm stuck at home with a mild form of mono AND the flu. * sigh * Not fair. . Sooooo… leaves a lot of time for writing, ne? Heh… now, to get that little muse working so I can finish my side story. ^^*** So anyhoo, enjoy! And PLEASE review!  
  
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Violet eyes snapped open and back to reality in record time. "NANDE KUSO?!" Musha shouted, yanking herself free of the man's grasp. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" she demanded angrily, hoping that her embarrassed blush would be mistaken for an angry flare.  
  
Wufei sighed, his gaze going to the floor, "Gomen ne..." he apologized, then looked back up to her, "I shouldn't have done that."  
  
"You're damn right!" Musha confirmed, "Let me out of here, NOW!!!"  
  
Wufei shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I'm not authorized to do that."  
  
Musha raised an eyebrow, "You're lying...."  
  
The Chinese pilot shrugged, "Maybe I am, but either way, I'm not letting you go. Not until you've come back to your senses." he leaned back against the door and crossed his arms, blocking her only exit.  
  
Well, not her ONLY exit...... Musha swiftly walked over to the window and opened it, peering down outside. The knot in her stomach was pulled tighter as she glanced at all fifteen stories below her. She had to do this though; she had to get out of here. After all, she had a mission to complete.  
  
"I don't know about you..." Wufei began, causing Musha to jump as he was now right next to her, peering down as well, "But that looks pretty steep to me."  
  
Musha growled and clenched her fists, "What do you care anyway?! If I die, I'll be one less problem for you to worry about."  
  
Wufei gave her a thoughtful look, playing along, "True, but what would Tensei think?"  
  
Musha's eyes widened for one brief moment of remembrance, "Tensei?"  
  
Wufei nodded, "Your best friend, your sister. She risked her life to save you. If you die right now, her work will have been in vain...."  
  
"Sister..." Musha's mind played the word over and over, a familiar feeling spreading through her body. It only took a moment, however for her to shake her head and glare at the man beside her. "I have no sister, kusoyaro! My family was killed!"  
  
She immediately stepped up onto the window sill and prepared to jump when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her back in. She was pulled up against Wufei's chest before she felt his hot breath tickling the skin of her neck. "Your family may have been killed, Musha, but Tensei will always be your sister." he turned her around to face him, keeping a strong grip on her struggling form, "Sometimes, just sometimes, two souls can share a link so strong that nothing and no one can ever break it. It can be weakened from time to time, but when it's healed, that bond grows stronger and stronger until the two become inseparable.  
  
"Not even death can separate the two, although it will cause the other pain beyond human comprehension. Musha...... you and Tensei share such a bond. For her to lose you would cause her that pain......" he closed his eyes before he continued, "And the pain that my heart would feel if I ever lost you would eventually eat away at me, driving me to insanity."  
  
Musha shook her head, "I don't...understand what you're telling me...."  
  
Wufei sighed, gathering the courage that he never thought he would ever lose, "Musha... I haven't known you for very long at all, but from the moment that I met you, I felt like I had known you forever; like you were a part of me. I can't explain it, and I'm just as confused as you are, but I can't deny what I feel. I'm scared, Musha.... terrified of losing you.... I love you, Musha...."  
  
Jumping out of the window had never looked better to Musha. Never in her wildest dreams... no, always in her dreams, NO! She wouldn't let herself believe it. How could he love her?! She was a soldier; a killer. Her soul had died long ago, she was now just a vessel, a tool used for killing.  
  
Somehow, her mouth couldn't come to say the words, all she wanted at that moment in time was to be held. She had fought for so very long. Her body was tired, and her soul was weary. She wanted it all to stop. So at that moment, out of what she thought was pure selfishness, she buried her face in his chest, and cried.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Free the dream within  
  
The stars are crying a tear  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tensei blinked a couple of times, trying to let everything sink in. What had he just told her, that he would....... protect her? No.......  
  
"No...." she said quietly, pushing his hand away, "Don't say things like that, Quatre...." she moved her gaze off to the side, unable to look into his eyes., They were so full of sincerity - she had never seen such a thing from anyone but Musha. Up until now, she thought that Musha was the only person in the world who could care for her, a bloodstained soldier with nothing left to live for.  
  
"I don't understand...." Quatre trailed, giving her a curious look.  
  
"Do not protect me..." she said coldly, "Once this mission is over, you have to forget that I ever existed."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened, "What do you mean?! How could I?"  
  
"I don't know..."she crossed her arms over her chest, standing up and walking over to the window, gazing over the city, "But you'll manage it. You're a soldier. You must have been trained to forget...." her voice was so cold that it sent a chill down Quatre's spine.  
  
"You assume things....." the blonde pilot sighed, shaking his head, "You speak as if you don't even know what it's like to be a soldier...."  
  
He watched Tensei's shoulders rise, she was obviously upset by this comment. She spun around and glared at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Are you saying that I'm not a real soldier?!"  
  
Quatre shook his head, "What I'm saying is that you live in a dream world. You treat everything as if all will be fine, no matter how hopeless the situation is. You think that you can just pack up and move on, that nothing has damaged your soul...... I know better though, Tensei..." he stepped up to her, his eyes burning into hers, determined to break the barrier that didn't keep harsh reality out, but trapped her inside with it, keeping her to suffer in her own hell.  
  
"I said earlier that you're strong, and I meant that, but there's a difference between strength and hiding behind a facade. You put on a mask to hide what you feel, but by hiding it, you keep it inside and it slowly eats away at you.  
  
"Tensei...." he took her hand into his own, "You're not invincible...."  
  
She stared at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to say or do. She knew that he was right, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. With a sigh, she turned her gaze back out to the setting sun.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A sigh escapes from heaven  
  
And worlds end  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"It's not..... fair..." Hiiro Yuy's usually monotone voice struggled. He looked down at Relena's peaceful form once more, wondering what right he even had to merely be in her presence.  
  
These visits had become a daily ritual for him. He spent each spare moment beside her, hoping against hope that a miracle would happen.  
  
He had never felt this way about anyone before. He felt... different, somehow. He stared at her long and hard, his eyes narrowing in anger. What was he mad at? A hell of a lot, he knew that. He was mad at this situation. The person who shot her, and himself, for not protecting her. But moreover, he was mad at these new feeling stirring up inside of him. He couldn't explain them, or understand them.  
  
Hiiro was the kind of man who always liked, no, needed to be in control. There had to be a logical explanation for everything, and he always had to have the power to control it. But this feeling inside of him..... he felt as if he was suffering from some kind of disease, eating away at his soul.  
  
Have you ever come in from a cold, winter day, when you've forgotten your gloves or something silly like that? Your hands are frozen numb, and you want nothing more than to warm them, but once you expose them to heat, it burns you so badly that you pull them back once more?  
  
This is similar to what Hiiro was going through. His soul had been deprived of love for so long, that he became cold; numb. Now that he was experiencing it once more, it burned him.  
  
He slammed his fist down on his leg in frustration. No matter where he ran to, where he hid, his torture would follow him. He couldn't get it out; couldn't make it stop.  
  
"Damn you, Relena Peacecraft..." he whispered hoarsely, his eyes hardening, "This is your fault...... why do you have to be.... so..... gods, so everything?!"  
  
He got down on the floor and knelt beside her hospital bed, taking her delicate, pale hand into his own rough, war calloused palm. "Relena..." he managed, "So many times, I have shut you out. Pushed you away. But again and again, you tried to break through me...... you wouldn't give up... damn your persistence....."  
  
He shook his head, and closed his eyes, "You'd better wake up, Relena....." his voice sounded threatening, though he would never truly mean her any kind of harm, "god damn you to hell if you don't, because I won't stand to go through that kind of pain.... Relena...... I love you...."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Breathe the dream within  
  
The mystifying  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sally sighed before taking another sip of her chamomile tea. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her days seemed to be getting longer and longer these days, especially since recently.  
  
She had just about given up all hope for peace by now, or at least not to get her hopes up. But still, she couldn't chase away the sick feeling that invaded her stomach every time she thought about all of the people who fought for peace in vain.  
  
She shook her head and laughed slightly. It wasn't much of a laughing moment, but it was just about all she could do to retain her sanity. besides, it was quite ironic. Fighting for peace.....  
  
'What fools we are...' she thought to herself, setting her cup of now cold tea down. All this time that they had spent waiting for the enemy to reveal themselves left her with a lot of time to think. She was beginning to wonder now if the Preventers were even necessary, much less effective.  
  
Relena Peacecraft had worked very hard to make sure that the Preventers had received sufficient funding to continue their work, but her title as Queen hardly made her a monarch. Now, with this turn of events, the Preventers had very little chance of survival. Relena, the executive branch of their democratic government was the only reason that the Preventers still existed.  
  
Jacob Branson, her successor had voted against them in past proposals. If Relena didn't wake up, then many people would soon be looking for jobs.  
  
"How do I get myself into these things?" she wondered aloud.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
We tremble and spin  
  
Suspended within  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre raised his hand to knock on Musha's door, giving the uncertain Tensei a reassuring smile. "Everything will be all right..." he soothed, "Wufei told me that she's fine."  
  
Tensei nodded, and smiled weakly as the door opened. There stood Wufei, who just nodded and stepped aside to let them in.  
  
Tensei hesitantly stepped inside and stared for a moment at her best friend. "Musha...?"  
  
Musha nodded and smiled, walking up to the other girl and embracing her. "Gomen ne, Tensei-chan. I'm so sorry..."  
  
Tensei shook her head, "No! Don't be sorry, Musha! It wasn't your fault! I should never have left!"  
  
Musha put a thoughtful look on her face and paused before saying nonchalantly, "Well, you're right. It IS your fault." she kept a straight face, looking at the confusion on Tensei's own face, before bursting out in laughter. "Just like always, ne, Tensei?!"  
  
The shorter girl laughed, grateful to have her friend back. "Baka!" she playfully hit her arm and shook her head, "You almost gave me a heart attack, you know that?"  
  
Musha smiled, "Of course! SOMEONE'S got to keep your life exciting, Tensei!" Musha was thankful that Tensei had finally come. She couldn't be alone with Wufei anymore... While she was laughing on the outside, her very being was crying out for some kind of reason.  
  
Quatre smiled, "Welcome back, Musha-san."  
  
Musha smiled, "Arigato.... it's good to be back...."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Look beyond  
  
Where hearts can see  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So Musha Eien is back with us, ne?" Sally questioned the uni-banged youth before her.  
  
Trowa nodded, "She's still in her room right now. Wufei, Quatre and Tensei are with her. Should she be held here for any longer or can she go home now?"  
  
Sally thought for a moment, weighing her options. "Let her go home," she said with a sigh, "The poor girl has been through enough already. I'm sure that she'll be fine from now on. Just.... keep an eye on her."  
  
"Hai." Trowa nodded before exiting the room to take the news to Musha.  
  
Sally sat at her desk to finish filing her report. "The ability to read and write is a curse..." she mumbled bitterly, finding herself scribbling curls and spirals of nonsense on her paper.  
  
She couldn't concentrate. She had this feeling of dread that she just couldn't shake. Of course, she had been feeling this way for a while now.  
  
Sleep came rarely, and the little that she experienced was plagued with dark nightmares. She had tried so hard, so incredibly hard to keep her head held high amidst the chaos, but it was slowly wearing her down, physically and emotionally.  
  
She cast a glance to a small picture frame on her desk. In it was a faded, wrinkled picture of a middle-aged couple. The husband was tall and broad. His thick black hair and neatly trimmed beard we combed perfectly into place. His aged and tired eyelids drooped slightly over his deep blue orbs. He wore a gruff statement, appearing to be the kind of man who is always in control.  
  
The woman beside him wore a much softer statement, her gentle smile the only thing lightening the picture through the darkness of age. Her dark blonde hair was pulled neatly back as she reclined happily in her husband's arms.  
  
One of the woman's arms descended to grasp the hand of a small girl. She possessed the likeness of her mother, but her eyes were sharp and hot, like those of her father's. Just by looking at the picture, you could tell that the girl had her father's personality. Confident and always in control.  
  
Sally shook her head. "The perfect family..." she mused bitterly as she threw away her scrap paper and started again, "They had everything... until the war..."  
  
Memories of the war haunted her. She recalled every detail of how her family was ripped away from her, leaving her to find her way on her own.  
  
Ever since that day, she had sworn to avenge her parents. Not by killing, but by preventing. That's why this war was so important to her.  
  
"We will finish this..." she whispered to herself, setting the picture back down and leaning back in her chair, "We will win... or die trying."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dream in peace  
  
Trust, love, believe  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo sighed as he reclined in his sofa, potato chips and coke in hand, but he didn't touch them. He just sat there.  
  
"Duo?" Hilde asked, walking into the room, "Duo, what's wrong with you?!"  
  
"Nothing, babe!" Duo flashed one of his winning smiles and went back to staring at the ceiling.  
  
Hilde raised an eyebrow. "Here you are with uneaten food, yet your mouth isn't chewing?!"  
  
Duo cocked his head to the side, giving Hilde a skeptical look. "You think you know me THAT well, huh? I'll have you know that on occasion, I like to hold food, and just look at it." he would have laughed at his own corny joke, had it not been for the fact that he was desperately trying to convince her that it was the truth.  
  
Hilde frowned and sat beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"You're stressed."  
  
"Are not."  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"What?! Are you calling me a liar?!"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Hey! I run, I hide, but I never-"  
  
"Especially not to your girlfriend!" she made sure to emphasize the last word, "So tell me what's wrong!"  
  
Duo sighed. "Okay. Maybe I'm a teeny bit stressed." he formed his fingers to show a space the size of a grain of rice.  
  
Hilde raised an eyebrow, "Duo. Please tell me." she moved her hand from his shoulder, taking his coke and setting it on the coffee table, then taking that same hand partially into her smaller one.'  
  
Once again, Duo sighed. "It's just all this gundam crap. I mean, for one thing, These chicks get to have all the fun-" he stopped when Hilde gave him a warning glance, and changed the subject slightly. "ALl right. it's just that things are looking kinda gloomy for our side of this whole thing. I mean, Relena's out cold, Musha's gone wacky, and Tensei looks like she's going to have a nervous breakdown at any moment! Not to mention the googly eyes that some of the others guys are showing. I mean, I might believe Quatre, but Wufei?! No way!!"  
  
Hilde blinked, "What are you talking about?!"  
  
Duo couldn't help but smile, he loved tarnishing the reputations of poor, unsuspecting victims. "Wufei and Quatre. They've got THINGS for the new girls. Even though technically, they're the bad guys... or they WERE at least. I don't even know any more."  
  
Hilde laughed. "What about me? I was a bad guy!"  
  
Duo smiled, "Yeah, but you're a special exception. Besides," he winked at her, "I like bad girls."  
  
"So you like the new girls too, ne?!" she exclaimed in mock surprise.  
  
"NO!!" Duo shouted defensively, raising his arms, "That's not what I meant at all!"  
  
"Oh? Then what DID you mean?"  
  
"Nothing!" Duo whined, "Can we just kiss and make up?"  
  
Hilde laughed as she stood up, grabbing Duo's chips and coke before he could even do anything about it, "Nope! I'm gonna have myself a snack and get to bed. I've got a busy day tomorrow."  
  
"Too busy for me?" Duo made puppy eyes.  
  
Hilde just laughed, "Good night, Duo!" she left the room and shouted back, "And thanks for the chips!"  
  
Duo crossed his arms and pouted, mumbling, "Of all the...." he shook his head and placed his hands behind his neck, leaning back. "I'm getting too old for this job."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Free the dream within  
  
The voice is calling a song  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
"Hm." was the only answer that poor Catherine could get out of her brother.  
  
Her eyes narrowed in concern at the sight of him. He was sitting on a prop box, carefully examining his mask as if he had never seen anything like it before. Not that it was unusual for Trowa to be quiet and distant, but his eyes never looked so.... empty.  
  
"Trowa." she said softly, taking a seat beside him, "What's wrong?"  
  
Trowa just stared at her, his face impassive. "Nothing is wrong. What would give you that idea?"  
  
"Womens' intuition?" she smiles slightly at her own little joke, but Trowa didn't even flinch. She just folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the floor. "It's the war, isn't it?"  
  
"It's not a war." Trowa stated matter-of-factly. "Just a few corrupt people that need to be put in their place."  
  
Catherine sighed. "Trowa, I thought that you of all people could recognize a war when you see one. It's not just the minds behind this that are fighting, it's the people as well. When humans take sides in a controversy, it's only a matter of time until people start dying." she said it with sadness, "Trowa. I can see it all happening again."  
  
Trowa blinked. "Catherine. You're getting yourself worried over nothing. The civilans aren't even involved in this."  
  
Catherine's eyes darkened slightly. "You're wrong." she watched as Trowa's head quirked up in curiosity, "I hear people say things, Trowa. People are angry at that girl who shot Relena. They want her executed. In the meantime, others are getting themselves weapons, for their children even! They're afraid. Afraid of all that's going on. Without Relena, the people feel defenseless."  
  
Trowa's eyes narrowed. "What the people have to learn is that it's not a leader that makes a strong nation, but strong people, who will work together for the good of everyone. They are the hope of the future."  
  
"Well try explaining that to them." Catherine shook her head, "I just don't think that true peace can ever be achieved. It seems to be just a dream."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A prayer from deep inside you  
  
The light is shining  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The ride home was a long one. Tensei drove, leaving Musha in the passenger seat, staring down at her folded hands. They put on a goofy show when Quatre and Wufei were with them, but now that they were alone, they withdrew slightly, each afraid to be the first to speak.  
  
Musha blinked a couple of times. She didn't know what to say. Guilt consumed her. 'I can't believe it..' she thought to herself shamefully, 'How could I have done that, how?!' She was so angry, angry with herself. For what? For alot of things. For letting herself be captured, for turning on her only friend, for letting Wufei get close to her.  
  
'NO!' her mind screamed desperately, 'I didn't get close to him at all!' she refused to accept it. She tried her hardest to force the memory of that kiss out of her head, but it wouldn't budge.  
  
She had never been kissed like that before. Not EVER like THAT. It was... gods, it was so many things. Soft, caressing.... comforting. At the same time, forceful. Not the kind of forceful that another kiss would be. This was more.... like desperate. Desperate to get a message across to her that words just couldn't find.  
  
Then there was Tensei. Gods, they hadn't talked much about their battle. Was it that it didn't matter? It was in the past? Or was it that it was too painful to bring up? 'Oh, she must feel so betrayed.' Musha thought bitterly. 'I can't believe I let them get to me..... I just hope that Tensei can find it in her heart to forgive me.'  
  
Tensei clenched her teeth, in order to keep from chewing on her lower lip. It was a bad habit that she would do whenever she was stressed, and Musha knew it. She couldn't let her friend see her distress. Not now. She just kept her eyes on the road and concentrated on getting home.  
  
'Damn..' she rarely said those words aloud, but under certain circumstances, her thoughts could get pretty vulgar. 'Musha! I'm so sorry! Why can't I bring myself to say it?!' She glanced over to the girl beside her and sighed. 'She looks aweful...' Tensei thought sadly. 'She must be horribly mad at me.'  
  
'You're a strong person....' that voice again! Tensei would shut her eyes in frustration, had it not been a life or death matter with her behind the wheel. That voice.... she still couldn't get it out of her head. All day, she contemplated those words, over and over, as if she didn't know what they meant. Probably because she couldn't associate such a remark with herself?  
  
She had never thought of herself as strong. Musha was the strong one. She, however, was the one who constantly goofed off. The one who was so meticulous in her planning, but would somehow slip up and next, find herself responsible for a catastrophe.  
  
She sighed faintly, finally turning onto their street. 'I should talk to her.' she thought reasonably. 'But she's mad at me. She's just got to be.'  
  
Musha sighed as well, looking over to Tensei, but missing her gaze. 'I wonder if she'll ever forgive me.'  
  
You know, the biggest problem with people is that they never tell each other how they feel, when really, they're thinking the same thing all along.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Be the dream within  
  
The voice is calling a song  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Strength. Justice. Honor.  
  
To the man known as Chang Wufei, these were the elements of life's very essence. In order to lead a respectful life, one must learn to practice these religiously, and that he did for the beginning of his life.  
  
But soon, honor was lost. Strength fell weak and honor was forgotten. Mankind had surrendered to the chaos and injustice. Something had to be done.  
  
Wufei knew that he, himself, was not strong, but he would never admit it. He convinced himself that it was his responsibility to bring justice back to the world.  
  
That was where things such as unselfishness and humility were forgotten. But all for the better, he would reason. People found him ill-tempered and abrasive; they would tend to avoid him. But that was all right with him. He was, after all, the Solitary Dragon. And he liked it that way.  
  
Or so he thought he did.  
  
You never know that you're lacking something until you experience it for a moment. You know, deep inside, that you need SOMETHING, but you don't know what it is, therefore dismissing it into the nothingness of your forgotten memory.  
  
Wufei had always thought that by killing Treize, and defeating OZ that his struggles would be over. That his work would be finished, and justice would be restored. He couldn't have been more wrong. He soon found that he had spent so much time being bent on revenge, that he had forgotten how to live, how to love.  
  
Love. No. Such a word did not belong in his vocabulary. He was a soldier, a fighter, a killer. There was no room in his heart for love. So why did he kiss her? Damnit! Why did he hold her, soothe her, comfort her?!  
  
He knew why. The answer played itself over and over in his head until he felt like he would burst. His harsh, cruel self didn't want to accept this loving invader.  
  
But, gods..... how he did love her. He didn't even know her that well, but there was something about her. Something so familiar and strange. He felt a connection to her that he had never felt before. Not even to Meiran.  
  
Though, he did not love Meiran. He loved her as more of a sister, though she did infuriate him. Maybe that's it? He was forced to marry Meiran, a girl that he did not love as a wife, but more as a sister. Maybe that's why he was so confused about this. As if he wanted to love Musha, but didn't know how.  
  
Wufei's eyes snapped open as he retreated from his meditative state. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms, as if to challenge his own emotions with his stubbornness.  
  
He walked into his room and made his way to bed, finally falling into a fitful rest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A flame on the wind  
  
Salvation begins  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Master Quatre?" Rashid looked worriedly at his young friend, who was reclining on the sofa in the sitting room all alone. He knew that Quatre liked solitude, but he never seemed so... distant.  
  
It took Quatre's brain a moment to acknowledge Rahid's presence. Smiling, he turned to face him, "Good evening, Rashid." he said gently.  
  
Rashi frowned, "More like good morning, you mean." he said, pointing to the clock.  
  
Quatre blinked in confusion and glanced up at the grandfather clock, then sighed. "Three A.M..." he said aloud, then laughed lightly, "I must have lost track of the time."  
  
The frown on Rashid's face didn't move. "Master Quatre," he began as he took a seat opposite of the young man, "You've been distant lately. Are you all right?"  
  
Quatre only smiled again, but not his usual warm, happy smile. This was more of a desperate to convince smile. "Of course, I'm all right. You needn't worry at all."  
  
Rashid raised an eyebrow curiously, "Master Quatre, are you sure? Ever since these events began, you've been acting differently."  
  
Quatre just shook his head, "I've just.... I believe that I'm gaining a new perspective on things."  
  
"What kinds of things?" the older man inquired, sitting back in his chair as if he were expecting a long lecture.  
  
Quatre shrugged, "Alot of things. Well, for one, I never knew that I'd find any more people like me. Those new gundam pilots... Not just that, but the fact that they're so... secretive. I don't know Musha very well, but I've gotten to know Tensei a bit, and she seems....." he sighed once more, "Closed off, yet not."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well. It's like she wants to tell me something.... she wants to tell ANYONE something, but she can't. I don't know much at all about her mission, but I do know that whatever it was, it was completely thrown off course.  
  
Not just that, but she seems.... frightened. Which is uncharacteristic of any gundam pilot. She won't show it, but I can see it in her eyes. I saw it that night that I caught her breaking into the Preventers' base, and I saw it when she came begging for our help. Even now, that fear is still there."  
  
He shook his head. "Of course, maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe my space heart is growing sensitive? I just don't know."  
  
Rashid couldn't help but smile, but he had no intention of revealing to Quatre the reason for that smile. "Perhaps," he began as he stood to his feet, "You're not reading enough into it?"  
  
Quatre blinked, "I don't understand."  
  
"Maybe she needs someone to talk to, but no one has presented themselves." with that, he left the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Look beyond  
  
Where hearts can see  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hiiro sat in the hospital room, his head in his hands. He was not aware of the time, nor did he care. He couldn't explain why he wanted to stay there, but he knew that he had to. Something had been tugging at him to remain by Relena's side by the night. He was angry, both at the voice and himself for listening to it, but it was all he could do.  
  
He sat there.  
  
Then suddenly, another familiar voice made itself known in a barely audible whisper. "Hiiro....."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dream in peace  
  
Trust, love, believe  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning, Tensei woke up and headed right for the kitchen. There, she found Musha, sitting at the table, cold cup of coffee in hand. Her normally fiery violet eyes were dull and bloodshot, dark circles clearly defined beneath them.  
  
Tensei just sat in the chair across from her friend, and gave her a sympathetic look. "Musha..." she reached out to place her hand over the other girl's as she bowed her own head slightly, "Musha... I'm so sorry."  
  
Musha's eyes seemed to snap open. "Nani?"  
  
Tensei just shook her head, "I... I didn't know what I was doing... all this time. I threw aside my common sense and got careless... and then..." she trailed.  
  
Musha shook her head. "I.. don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Tensei blinked and looked up at her, "Musha. I apologize... for everything. I screwed up... so bad-"  
  
Musha gasped frantically and interrupted her. "No! Tensei! What are you talking about?! It wasn't your fault!"  
  
"Oh, but it was! If I had never gone on that mission without you in the first place..... none of this mess never would have happened." the other girl shouted, her voice weighed down with regret.  
  
Musha could hardly believe her ears. "Tensei! That has nothing to do with it! I was the one who betrayed you!" the last couple of words were distorted by a sob, but Tensei still heard.  
  
"NO!! You couldn't help it! You were under Akki's control-"  
  
"Are these tears?" a rude voice interrupted, Master U's face appearing once more on the vid-screen. "Soldiers don't cry."  
  
Musha just bowed her head, forcing the tears to stop as Tensei's eyes widened in utter shock.  
  
"How dare you?!" she demanded angrily, "She may be a soldier, but she's also human!"  
  
Master U scowled, "Humanity is a weakness, which is why you must rid yourself of it."  
  
Tensei couldn't believe her ears. He had told them this over and over as they grew up, however, they weren't expecting to have to fight. They had gotten too comfortable after the wars ended.  
  
"What do you want?" Tensei asked quietly.  
  
Master U narrowed his eyes. "You have another mission. This one will be different though."  
  
"Different?" Tensei questioned, "How?"  
  
"All of your missions have been on the defensive side of the battles. This time, however, I want you two to be the first to strike."  
  
Musha's eyes went wide. "But.. I thought that we were never to be on the offense!"  
  
Tensei nodded, in just as much shock as her friend, "Master U! The only reason that we agreed to all of this is because you told us that we would only be defending!"  
  
Master U narrowed his eyes, "Let me make it clear right here and now that you did not have to agree to anything. You were raised for this purpose. Don't forget, I took you in. You owe me a great deal."  
  
"But, Master U!"  
  
"But nothing! I am transmitting your instructions right now! It will begin at 0200 tomorrow morning." That was the last that he said before his image disappeared.  
  
Musha sighed angrily as Tensei looked as if she would cry. Hearing a beep, she walked over to her laptop and read over the orders. "He's located Akki's mobile suit manufacturer!" she shouted in disbelief.  
  
Musha shook her head, "How is that possible? We've been trying for years, and nothing! I thought that he had given up on that search."  
  
Tensei just bit her lower lip and continued to read. "Our mission is to destroy the entire area, but... no!"  
  
Musha looked right up, "What's wrong?" she got up and stood beside her friend.  
  
"The factory is located in South America, right inside of a civilian town!"  
  
Musha's eyes went wide. "Kamisama! How could they keep that a secret?!"  
  
Tensei shook her head, "I don't know, but they were expecting an attack at one point or another. They placed themselves at this location to prevent being attacked easily." she quickly typed some keys and shook her head, "Musha! There's no way that we can do this without killing civilians!"  
  
Musha slammed her hand down hard on the table, "Shimatta! How could he assign such a mission?! That coward! He won't put the time into researching an alternative!"  
  
Before either one of them had a chance to say anything else, another came up on the screen.  
  
"I know what you two are thinking. You don't want to risk the lives of innocent people, but if you do not take this precautionary measure, even more innocents will die. I expect your talents to be used to their full potential tonight." Tensei shook her head as she finished reading the message.  
  
"This isn't right. I mean... there must be some other way!"  
  
Musha just sighed. "The bastard has us cornered." she clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "We have no choice."  
  
"Fine." Tensei stood and headed back towards her room. "I'd better go get ready. I have to meet with Sally today."  
  
"I'll go as well." Musha stood up, but Tensei almost glared at her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.  
  
"Don't. You have to stay here and rest, Musha."  
  
"But -"  
  
"You need your strength for tonight, Musha. Onegai, we're already going to have enough to worry about as it is. Don't make me worry about you too." Tensei pleaded.  
  
Musha just nodded, "Fine. But I'm only doing this for you."  
  
Tensei smiled half-heartedly. "Thank you."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Notes – Mwahaha! Okay… this is like.. one of those rare times when I do not write a cliffhanger. Be glad! Also, I know that I butchered the song, but… well, I felt like it, and I'm just too lazy to do it all correctly right now. But that's okay, y'all understand, ne? * HuGz * Now, please review! 


	10. Sarabada, tomodachi.

*Tensei is gagged and tied to a chair in the corner and a big sign comes down that says 'MUSHA'S AUTHOR NOTES'*  
  
HI YA'LL! It's me! Musha aka GoldenGoddess! *Hears  
people groan and sweatdrops* Hai, I know you all what  
Tensei's chapter to come out and not read my sucky one  
demo, look at it this way, now that I'm done with  
mine, you'll soon get to read Tensei's incredible  
story again! *Grins as she hears very loud cheering*  
See! It's all good!  
Enjoy!  
  
*Tensei rips off the gag(somehow)* NOOO!!!! MUSHA ROCKS!!!  
  
  
  
  
Hiiro felt his entire body tense as his breath caught  
in his throat. That voice, there was no mistaking that  
voice, a sound that he'd both longed and dreaded to  
hear during the war. A voice that spawned so many  
unfamiliar emotions deep within his core, and his  
soul.  
Yet still,he refused to look up. There was a deep  
child like fear swimming around inside of him, for if  
he looked up perhaps he would realize that this was  
all a dream, and Relena wouldn't be looking at him, or  
smiling her beautiful smile. She would remain as she  
had been for so long now, as still as death without so  
much as an eye blink or a smile to justify what he'd  
heard, and all of his hopes would have been for  
nothing.  
"Hiiro...Hiiro, what's wrong?" A gentle touch graced  
his forehead and he clenched his eyes shut even  
tighter, for it was all he could do to keep himself  
from allowing his emotions to get the better of him.  
"Why....are you in pain Hiiro? Why won't you look up?"  
At first he said nothing, as he searched deep within  
himself to find his voice, which seemed to have fled  
from him, and when he finally did speak his voice came  
out gruffly, with an almost barely audible shake to  
it. "Because....if I look up, I'm afraid, afraid that  
I will realize that none of this is real. That...what  
I think is happening, won't be happening, and you  
won't have moved, and I will have only been wishing  
for something that is nearly impossible to achieve."  
He knew he was terribly out of character with his  
feelings, and with his emotions. But, he could utterly  
not care less. He'd decided from the moment that his  
eyes had watched Relena's form fall to the ground at  
the peace treaty, that he didn't care about what  
people thought he was suppose to be. The perfect  
soldier had died with that single gunshot, and the  
human known as Hiiro Yui had risen from his ashes.  
"Hiiro." The voice itself seemed to be smiling but,  
iie, he couldn'T look up. He would not allow his hopes  
to be shattered like they surly would be.  
Suddenly, he felt to cool hands on either side of his  
face and they gently lifted his face so he was looking  
straight ahead, even if his eyes were still shut.  
"Open your eyes Hiiro, I'm still here....open your  
eyes and see for yourself."  
"I don't know if I can" he whispered.  
Unexpectedly, he felt a tenderness on his lips and his  
eyes instantly shot open to meet with cauliflower blue  
ones. Slowly, Relena pulled away and broke the kiss, a  
faint blush upon her cheeks. "Gomen nasi Hiiro...I..I  
couldn't think of any other way to prove to you, that  
I really was here.....  
With trembling fingers, he gently raised his hand and  
ran his fingertips along her face. Memorizing her  
features both with sight and with touch, as if to  
prove to himself that she really was here, awake,  
smiling before him, and this wasn't all some cruel  
dream. "Are you really here, Relena?"  
She nodded, her own hand reaching out to delicately  
touch his own face. "I couldn't die yet Hiiro, there  
was to much left undone for me to do, to many people  
who still want to bring about war and shatter peace,  
in this world. I couldn-" her words came to an abrupt  
halt, and Hiiro silenced her with a almost clumsy, but  
passionate kiss.  
'What am I...doing.....' it was almost as if his body  
had betrayed him, as he wrapped his arms around Relena  
and held her closer to his body, basking in her warmth  
and questioning himself even as he swore never to let  
go of her again. Nothing mattered anymore, nothing  
matter except the fact that she was awake and  
breathing, being held safely within his arms.  
He deepened the kiss, near blinded by the foreign  
emotions that had long since destroyed all conscious  
thought as he felt her own slender arms wrap around  
his neck as she began to almost shyly return the kiss.  
It seemed as if time itself had stopped and the entire  
world was holding its breath, as the two children of  
war gave into the desire they had secretly been  
feeling since the first time they had laid eyes upon  
each other, so long ago on that beach.  
Hiiro slowly pulled back after what felt like hours,  
his emotionless now forgotten within the deep recesses  
of his mind, and his emotions. "Relena.....I...."  
"Shhhh....." Relena gently placed her fingers to  
Hiiroès lips, her eyes smiling. "It was you  
Hiiro....you're the reason I came back. The reason I  
didn't die."  
"Nani?"  
She shut her eyes and rested her head against his  
chest, speaking softly. "I had to much left to do, to  
many things left to say. Don't you see yet Hiiro? I  
hadn't yet told you, that I love you."  
*******************  
  
Sally studied the girl before her, for what felt like  
the thousandth time. But, every time she looked at  
her, spoke with her, or began to think that she had  
her figured out, something would happen to change  
everything that she thought that she understood and  
flip her understanding of the girl upside down again.  
Tensei Jianio, although she had no doubts that that  
wasn't her real name. She was so many things, and yet  
it was almost as if none of those things were actually  
herself. Hikari, Tensei Jianio, a Preventer, a Gundam  
pilot, she had so many identities and yet, she didn'T  
have one to actually call her own.  
The girl in question sat before her at a table,  
staring blankly at a cup of tea that had long since  
cooled within her grasp. Her once lively brown eyes  
had faded to dull pools of grief.  
"How is Musha?"  
Tensei's head snapped up in surprise as the silence  
was shattered, before she slowly lowered her gaze  
again. "She'll be fine. Musha's strong.....unlike me."  
Sally tentatively reached out and took a sip of her  
own coffee. "You don'T think yourself strong Tensei?"  
"Iie.....I"m anything but strong."  
"Why do you say that?"  
Her gaze shifted to the window, still refusing to make  
eye contact. "I learned that long ago...if I truly was  
strong, then so much...so many things would, never  
have happened.  
Sally watched her in silence. "You seem very strong to  
me Tensei....you pilot a gundam, you saved Relena  
Peacecraft's life, you proved your innocence when the  
entire world felt that you were the enemy, you brought  
back your friend from the clutches of Akki. You don'T  
seem weak to me Tensei, on the contrary, you seem very  
strong."  
"IIE!" Tensei slammed her cup of tea down hard on the  
table, effectively shattering it into thousands of  
tiny pieces and allowing the coffee that was held  
confined within it to break free, and escape outward  
with a powerful splash. Her brown eyes were suddenly  
filled with fury and rage and they burned with  
determination. "Iie...I'm not strong.....Relena is  
still unconscious, people are out their dying, Musha  
was almost killed because of me, my family is surly  
dead...if I truly was strong then none of these events  
would have come to pass! If I was strong then the  
world would be peaceful, and there would be no  
suffering!"  
Sally stared at the girl before her in shock. She felt  
that that was all her fault!? She was taking..the  
blame for everything? 'That's impossible!' she  
thought in bewilderment. 'She actually believes, that  
the reason that war is currently occurring in the  
world, is because of her? ' She voiced this question  
out loud.  
Tensei sighed softly and ran a hand through her  
tangled blonde hair. "Not all of it...but, how can I  
make you understand Sally..what if I'd done something  
differently? What if I hadn't left Musha alone that  
day, what if I had been able to stop the assassin from  
shooting Relena, what if-"  
"You can't live off of 'what ifs' Tensei, if you do  
you'll forever be living in the past!" Sally stood up  
urgently, knocking her own chair over in the process  
as passion covered her. "I know...if you continue to  
dwell on what could have been, then you'll be  
torturing yourself! You'll loose yourself so deep  
within the past that you'll forget to look towards the  
future! And forget everything that can be! Tensei, you  
can't do this to yourself!"  
Tensei lowered her gaze again and spoke in a soft  
voice. "Demo, that doesn'T change what I've done,  
Relena is still in a coma......" Her eyes flickered  
over to the shattered glass. "Gomen nasi about the  
cup..."  
Sally sighed and leaned heavily against her desk, her  
left hand brushing up against the picture of her  
family on the table, as if seeking reassurance. "Don't  
worry yourself...you're excused...."  
Tensei gave a brief nod of her head, and then quickly  
vanished out of the room.  
She drummed her hand on the table, almost  
absentmindedly. Her thoughts elsewhere.  
'Tensei...you're to naive to your own problems. You  
blame everything that goes wrong upon yourself...if  
you keep doing that, I ..I can't image what you might  
do.'  
The silence in the room was shattered as the phone  
suddenly rang, startling Sally out of her inner  
reflections. Reacting quickly, once getting over her  
shock, she picked up the phone.  
"Hello, Sally Po here."  
Her eyes widened as a silent gasp came to her lips,  
and the phone fell swiftly from her hand.  
'Hello? Sally Po? Did you hear me? Relena Peacecraft  
is awake!'  
**********************  
Quartre looked up, his eyes instantly finding the  
familiar form of Tensei Jianio. "Miss Tensei!"  
She stopped and instantly tensed, her back was turned  
to him but he could see the tension lingering on his  
form. He didn't need his space heart to be able to  
tell that she was upset about something.  
"Hai Quartre-san?" she questioned, not turning around.  
"Is there something I can help you with?"  
'Somethings wrong..." he thought quietly to himself as  
he finally stopped walking several feet away from her.  
"I..didn't know that you were coming to headquarters  
today."  
Still she didn't move. "Neither did I really demo,  
Sally called me early this morning and requested me to  
come in today. Work is work."  
Quartre didn't flinch, he knew that something was  
wrong, that Tensei wasn't telling the entire truth.  
Something was wrong...she was hurting and, he hated it  
when he ever saw anyone suffering.  
But for some reason, seeing Tensei suffering as she  
was, hurt him more than usual, almost as if...her pain  
was his own(THAT WOULDn"T FEEL GOOD).  
"If there's nothing else you need, Quartre-san, I  
think I should go home....Ja." She took a step  
forward.  
"Matte!"   
Tensei stopped and glanced just barely behind her  
shoulder, almost as if she was afraid or ashamed to  
look at him for some reason. "H-hai?"  
Quartre shook his head. Why had he stopped her? There  
was something wrong...something was troubling Tensei,  
and he wasn't sure how he knew, but he was positive  
that he had to convince her of something, or the  
consequences would be sever. 'What...is happening to  
me? This is nothing like my space heart has ever  
allowed me to experience before....'  
'Perhaps though.' another part of his mind informed  
him quietly. 'Perhaps it isn't your space heart that  
is allowing you to feel these things.'  
"Quartre-san, are you all right?"  
The voice brought Quartre reeling back to reality and  
he blinked a few times to clear his head. "How is Miss  
Musha?"  
Tensei sighed softly and shook her head. "She's tired  
demo, she's not really injured, just tired." The look  
in her eyes seemed to say just like me.  
"What about you?" Quartre whispered softly, stepping  
forward and resting a hand on her shoulder, his gentle  
eyes boring into her own. "How are you feeling Miss  
Tensei?"  
She instantly flinched away from the touch, almost as  
if he had burned her. "I-Im fine. I'm not the one that  
has been injured Quartre-san."  
"That's not what I meant. How are you feeling...the  
last time I really saw you..you were so  
sa....exhausted. Are..you feeling better?"  
Her eyes darkened immensely, and she took another step  
back from h im. "Why wouldn't I be fine!? Do you think  
that I can't take care of myself!?"  
Quartre's eyes widened. "That's not what I meant at  
all! You've just been under a lot of pressure from all  
sides lately...I thought that you-"  
"You thought!" She glared at him darkly, her body  
beginning to tremble with emotion. " You are not me  
Quartre-san! You don't know what I feel, or how I  
think! You don't know my joys or my sorrows, how can  
you even begin to think about what I feel, or when I  
feel it?!"  
He stared at her in shock, and found himself  
struggling to keep his own anger in check. She thought  
that he didn'T understand how she felt. He'd lost so  
much during the war, and yet, here she was, the very  
girl who he'd sworn to protect, accusing him of not  
understanding. "Miss Tensei....I know you're in pain,  
I can see it in your eyes. I know because I've seen  
that look in my very own eyes more than once. During  
the war, when I used the Zero Gundam, when my..my  
father died. You seem to be forgetting that I fought  
in the war as well, that until a few days ago I  
considered you my enemy, because I was still fighting!  
No one would understand better than me, that's how I  
know that you're suffering!"  
She shut her eyes for a brief moment and then opened  
them, gazing at him with a fierce intensity.  
"You..don't understand...." She turned to go.  
It was as if he had become someone else, as if  
something else had taken over his body. The storm of  
emotions within his body rose to a new intensity upon  
hearing her words and before he could stop himself he  
reached out and gently grasped her shoulders, turning  
her around and looking directly into her eyes, his own  
a ocean of feelings. "Get it out of your mind set that  
you're the only one suffering Tensei!"  
She stared at him in shock, almost seeming to not  
comprehend what he had just said, before pulling away  
from him and running out of the room. Not knowing  
where she was going, for she felt as if there was no  
longer a place where she belonged.  
*******************  
  
Hilde's eyes widened and she quickly slammed down the  
phone, not giving the poor man on the other end a  
chance to say goodbye or ask if she was all right, she  
didn'T have time for such silly things as that. She  
had to tell Duo, this news was incredible!  
"DUO!"  
No response.  
"DDDDUUUOOOO!"  
Still nothing.  
A frown graced her lips before she began walking to  
the bedroom. "If that baka is still asleep....I swear  
I will personally cut off his braid, no matter how  
cute I think it is...." A wicked grin momentarily  
passed over her face as she thought about the look on  
Duo's face when she had perviously threatened to rid  
himself of his braid.  
Her hand reached out to grasp the doorknob to their  
bedroom when it suddenly opened on it's own, to reveal  
a very sleep eyed Duo. His pajama wrinkled and his  
hair in disarray.  
"Hilde-babe.." he murmured quietly, rubbing one of his  
eyes. "What is it? Whadda shouting about so early in  
the morning.  
She blinked. "Duo, it's one o'clock in the afternoon."  
"My point exactly." He threw her a half awake,  
lopsided grin.  
"Baka na..." she mumbled, before wrapping her arms  
around his neck and kissing him right there on the  
lips.  
His eyes widened with surprise and he pulled back  
faintly, staring at her in bewilderment. "all right,  
what's going on? What did you want, what did I do, and  
is Wufei's katana involved again?"  
Hilde smiled innocently, her arms still wrapped around  
his neck. "Why do you instantly assume that something  
is going on?" Her deep eyes twinkled with both joy and  
amusement and she struggled to keep the good news that  
wanted to break free from her soul"  
"Well, forgive me Hilde-babe demo, you kissing me like  
this in the morning isn't exactly a common occurrence.  
not that I'm complaining or anything."  
She just grinned impishly, before leaning close to Duo  
as if she was going to kiss him again, and stopping  
just before doing so, whispering. "Relena has woken  
up."  
***********************  
"How was the meeting?" Musha looked up from the book  
she was reading, her hair was cast slightly astray  
from when she'd been sleeping, but she paid it no  
mind. Her entire being was focused on Tensei, and how  
she was. 'I shouldn't have let her go off alone....'  
Tensei looked up in surprise, then smiled faintly  
throwing a little victory sign. "It was fine. Sally  
just, wanted to confirm a little more about me and my  
mission. I guess she still doesn't trust me fully."  
'She's lying' thought Musha quietly. 'Something else  
happened. Something is on her mind.' She stared at  
her but she didn't peruse the subject, knowing that it  
would only proceed to upset her friend, iie, her  
sister further. And she didn't want to cause her any  
more pain, even if it ended up hurting herself, or  
even Tensei more in the future. It was a weakness of  
hers, trying to remain ignorant to problems so they  
wouldn't surface sooner then they had to. She hated  
hurting people that she cared about, especially  
someone as important to her as Tensei. "So, what now?"  
"I..don't know...." Tensei sighed and ran a finger  
through her still slightly tangled hair. "I ...guess  
we, just wait for the mission."  
Musha's gave flickered to her friend, her eyes  
troubled and worried. "Tensei-chan....."  
"I'm going to sing."   
Her eyes widened with surprise and disbelief.  
"Tensei-chan...sing?"  
"Hai" she replied, something off within her eyes. "I  
haven't, done it in a long time. And.....I think that  
now would be a good time to get back into  
practice...you understand ne?"  
Musha was about to open her mouth to say that she  
didn't understand but, Tensei had already left the  
room, leaving Musha alone with her thoughts and her  
emotions.  
"Tensei-chan..." she groaned, before letting her body  
fall limp and staring blankly at the ceiling. There  
was something wrong with Tensei.  
What was it that Wufei had said? Sometimes people  
share a bond so strong that nothing and no one can  
ever break it.   
A soft melodic singing reached her ears and she shut  
her eyes, trying to push down the uncertainly that was  
so familiar now.  
'Me and Tensei have known each other for so  
long.....truly as long as we can remember. And she  
knows...she knows how scared I was when we met..iie,  
that I am even now. She was there, to comfort me on  
those long nights at Master U's training ground, she  
was there to make me laugh when I felt depressed or  
like I was going to drown in my own sorrows during the  
missions afterwards. She protected me when I was to  
weak to fight, and defended me when all I wanted to  
do was fight. She knows me, better than I know myself.  
Demo, I also know her better than she knows herself. I  
know, I remember the nights that she would cry herself  
to sleep, or would demand to know why this was  
happening to her, when she didn't think that I was  
awake. I tried to shield her from all that, from the  
first time that I heard her cry on the third night of  
our training, I swore that I would protect the girl  
whom I had dubbed Tensei. Thinking back now, I almost  
have to laugh out loud, how could I protect Tensei  
when I couldn't even protect myself.  
I learned something about Tensei though, and that was  
her ablitlty so see the best in everyone. Everyone but  
herself. She blamed whatever she could upon her own  
soul, she couldn't, iie, she refused to blame someone  
else for a problem, or mistake. That was her   
weakness, her ability to sacrifice her own problems  
and mistakes, even if they weren't hers in reality,  
and never see anyone else's.'  
"Tensei-chan......stop doing this to yourself...."  
Slowly, her eyes began to wander over the almost blank  
walls, until they came to rest upon a single picture,  
that seemed horribly out of place on the almost  
painfully bare walls. It was a picture of two girls,  
both looking no older then eleven years old, and both  
of them were smiling.   
Musha herself had no idea when the picture had been  
taken, it seemed like another world now, such joy and  
happiness to be shown upon their faces. But, even if  
she couldn't remember it, whenever she saw the picture  
it she would always smile.  
Her hand moved up to her star pendent, and she began  
to turn it over in her hands nervously, a habit she  
had picked up.  
The singing had stopped.  
"Tensei....don't do anything stupid...."  
*****************************  
Tensei stared through the crack in the door at Musha,  
her sister, the one she would never dream of hurting  
or allowing to be hurt.  
'She's so reckless.... her willingness to sacrifice  
herself for others....and never taking into account  
her own safety...i won't let her get hurt, I  
can't....allow that. She's the only family I  
have.....it's my fault she got so hurt in the first  
place. If I had never shown up at the peace  
treaty.....'  
And that's how she knew. It had come to her so clearly  
and suddenly, that it struck her breathless. Not  
because she was shocked at the mere thought that she  
would even think of doing such a thing, but rather the  
fact that no matter how disgraceful the speculation  
was, she knew that she was going to do it.  
And she hated herself for that, more than anything.  
**********************************  
'Then again, everything starts with a dream.'   
The towel that Catherine had been using to dry herself  
off after the performance lay discarded on the floor  
as she stared at the young woman before her. "A-are  
you serious?"  
The woman rolled her eyes, her  
periwinkle/violet/sky-blue (hope I got that right.  
LoL! Thought I'd give DT a break, also she appears in  
'She cries soooo') hair somehow managing to stay out  
of her eyes.  
"I work for the Preventers Miss Bloom, and I never get  
my data wrong...." the girls eyes flickered behind  
Catherine for a moment, but Catherine herself didn'T  
have to look behind her. She knew her brothers  
presence off by heart.  
"What's going on" Trowa asked softly, not having  
changed out of his performance garb, his one visible  
green eye flaming.  
Catherine just shook her head in amazement, but found  
that t no words came to her.  
"As I was saying." The woman said in slight  
frustration. "My name is Kashoku, and I work for the  
Preventers. I can't stay long demo, I was ordered to  
bring pilot 03 and his sister this news."  
"And that would be?" Trowa questioned, not once taking  
his eyes from Kashoku.  
Kashoku turned to go, her hair swinging behind her as  
she left. "That Relena Peacecraft has woken up!"  
*******************  
'Damn..I've never had trouble deciding what to do  
before, why am I suddenly unable to make such simple  
decisions!'  
Wufei glared at the car steering wheel before him, as  
if it was the very cause of all of his problems.  
"Damn..." he murmured, before leaning back in the  
seat, the keys laying uselessly in the passenger side.  
He needed to talk to her, that much was obvious. He  
couldn't simply say that he loved someone, and then  
totally avoid them after that, could he?  
"This is pathetic!" He snarled out, not even realizing  
that he was talking to absolutely no one. "She's just  
a onna! Why can't I do this!"  
'Demo, she's so much more than that to you ne?' A  
voice that sounded oddly like Duo in his head replied.  
'Come on Wu-man! You know you like her, you have to  
admit it that you have the ability to feel for  
someone, other than yourself!'  
"Great..now I'm hearing voices in my head...." He  
growled softly and stared up at the roof of the car,  
not finding himself able to begin the short drive to  
where she lived, but also unable to make any effort to  
exit the car. So he remained where he was in his  
neutral state, not going anywhere.  
He wouldn't admit it, not even to himself. He refused  
to say the word that screamed to fall from his lips.  
He was a warrior, the last left of a ancient clan of  
warriors, his only focus should be to bring justice to  
a world that had long since forgotten the word, and  
rid evil from the Earth itself, even if he had to  
become it to do so. He would never be able to feel, or  
fight for anything else, anything.  
Yet, even as he told himself this he could tell that  
it was useless, that the words were in a manner,  
falling onto death ears. He'd already, even if it was  
just for a mere moment, had let his emotions get the  
better of him, let them control him, and in the  
process of doing so he had experienced a feeling that  
he had never felt the like of before, and that was how  
he knew that he would never again be able to believe  
what he had been telling himself for the last  
twenty-four hours. His emotions had led him something  
he had never known he was missing, because he had  
never experienced before, and in his moment of  
weakness of letting his feelings control him, he had  
learned what he was missing, and now he couldn't go  
back.  
"Damn" He murmured again, shutting his eyes and  
crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.  
'Now I know why Yui swore off emotions. They..are  
confusing.....how is it than an onna can effect me  
like this, in such a way....not even Merian....brought  
these feelings out within me......I don't  
understand...'  
'And that's why you can't ignore her.' That other  
voice was back in his mind, as he continued his inner  
argument with himself. 'That's why you're going to  
turn the engine on and drive to her house, knock on  
the door, even if it means that you'll only be able to  
see her again, just for a moment. Stop being so  
stubborn and admit it to yourself Wu-man!'  
His eyes shot open and he once again found himself  
glaring at the steering wheel, as well as the keys.  
"Shimatta...."  
Almost angrily, he reached over and, jabbing the keys  
into the key slot, started the car and began the drive  
towards Musha's house.  
So much for that Solitary Dragon title he use to be so  
proud of.  
**************  
"Oh Gods..."  
Mari Maya stared at the computer screen before her in  
utter bewilderment as Doctor J's voice filled the  
room.  
Her adoptive mother, Lady Une, and brought her here  
when her presence was requested by Sally Po, upon the  
discovery of Hoshi and Hikari, Musha Eien and Tensei  
Jianio. Her mother hadn't felt confident with leaving  
her alone back at the house, not so soon after the  
injury at the eve wars, that had confined her to a  
wheelchair.  
"Iie..." she shook her head in denial as the words  
began to repeat themselves again. What she was hearing  
couldn't be real...it had to be some horrible dream or  
nightmare. The doctors were dead, so why was it that  
they were haunting he right now.  
The computerized message began to repeat itself again.  
"After Colony, Date 175.   
Master U has left the plans to build the Gundams after  
we refused to acknowledge his inhumane systems known  
as the omega system. It is by far worse then the Zero  
system, rendering the pilot itself unconscious after  
only a short period of use. We refused to create the  
zero system, and yet he creates something far worse  
and expects us to build it! Although the man is  
incredibly intelligent, his compassion for humanity is  
nonexistent!  
However, it is not the Omega system itself that  
frightens me, it is what he said as he left us. His  
very words here that 'we refused to acknowledge his  
genius that would win any war, and by refusing him we  
had started a chain reaction that we would one day  
regret later. He said that he would get the respect  
and fear that he deserved.  
My own fear is that he will use his intelligence to  
create his own Gundams, as well as gundam pilots.  
If that is the case, I pray for the soldiers that will  
become his lab rats, for the man is truly insane.  
Doctor J, signing out."  
Mari Maya stared at the screen anew as the system  
began to repeat yet again. Her blood ran cold.  
'The two new pilots that my mother was called here to  
disguss....they were trained by Master U! The mad man!  
And I'm the only one that knows.'  
******************  
'I can't believe...can I really go through with this.  
I don't..I don't....Kami, give me strength.' Tensei  
shut her eyes and willed her trembling hands to still.  
The grief surrounded her and threatened to consume her  
very being,to leave nothing more behind than an empty  
shell in it's place. Oh Gods, the grief was immense,  
it felt as if she couldn't breathe. As if the air  
around her was no longer a giver of life, but rather a  
force that took it away.   
Like she was.  
"Tensei-chan?" A soft hand was placed on her shoulder.  
"Are you all right?"  
Tensei forced a shaky smile upon her face and turned  
around, coming face to face with Musha,her own eyes  
betraying her fear and her uncertainly, but amidst all  
that the immortal love for the only family she'd ever  
known, her sister, her friend, her comrade.  
'Even if she will never admit it out loud' thought  
Tensei as a small smile spread across her face. 'I  
know that she feels that way, and that she knows how  
much I care for her as well....I hope you will find it  
one day i n your heart to forgive me for this,  
Musha-chan.'  
How many times had the two of them been in this  
situation before, going off to face impossible odds,  
unsure if they would ever see each other again. Ever  
feel the rays of the sun warm their face, hear the  
gentle patter of rain in the trees, feel the brisk  
north wind chill their bones, or hear the laughter of  
children in the distance. How many times had they felt  
the uncertainly of the promise of their lives.  
'But this time is different. Kami, ...iie, I'm not all  
right Musha! I feel as if a part of me is somehow  
dying! I can't do this! '  
"Tensei-chan?"  
"Hai, I'm fine. Don't worry about me Musha..."   
The girl in question sighed and looked away from her  
friend, walking towards the window and staring  
outside. "I thought you would have learned by now  
Tensei-chan, that it's useless to try to lie to each  
other, we know each other far to well for that...."  
Tensei laughed softly, but it wasn't the usual joy  
filled laugh that so commonly escaped her lips, tones  
of woeful grief replaced the happy aura that would so  
often surround her laughter. "Hai, demo if you claim  
to know as much about me as you say you do Musha-chan,  
then you know first hand how stubborn I am."  
"Hai...." Musha's eyes wandered up and she gazed  
silently at the stars, not another sound leaving her  
lips. And Tensei found herself struggling to memorize  
her friends every features, she had to hold this  
moment in her memory, for as long as she lived no  
matter how long or short that would be, she had to  
hold this moment in her memory forever.  
'The same proud rigid stance, the same aura of  
strength and power, and the same confusion and  
uncertainly in her poise. The same lost and terrified  
girl I met all those years ago in Master U's base.   
'But, there's something different this time, something  
different from that frightened child from so long  
ago, and that's how I know you'll be all right Musha.  
I know that he'll take care of you.'  
"Demo, I'm still going to miss you, my sister."  
Musha's eyes widened faintly and she turned her gaze  
towards Tensei again, mistaking the meaning of her  
words for something else entirely. "We're going to be  
fine Tensei, you know that. We've pulled through  
things that have been far worse then this...there's no  
need to say goodbye."  
"Demo..there's every reason....to say goodbye..."  
Tensei suddenly wrapped her arms around Musha in a  
desperate hug, feeling the sting behind her closed  
eyelids as the tears began to fall. "Gomen Musha-chan!  
I'm..I'm s-so sorry..for everything! Onegai...forgive  
me...."  
She felt a stable set of arms wrap themselves securely  
around her form, even as they shook slightly.  
"Tensei...there is nothing to  
forgive......onegai..stop talking like we're never  
going to see each other again....this is just a  
mission, like every other one we've ever  
done.......w-we need to go, and finish it."  
Those words sounded so final, and so conclusive, even  
if it was a lie.  
"It is different Musha-chan..." Suddenly and swiftly,  
Tensei pulled away and pressed a cold cloth to Musha's  
nose and mouth. Her eyes flamed with surprise even as  
the tears sparkled and fell from Tensei's own.   
"You're not going on this mission."  
She pulled the cloth away as her friends from  
collapsed, and she barely managed to catch the taller  
girl, and set her down gently on the floor.  
"Musha-chan...I can't let you go through with this.  
You're my best friend...my only friend. I can't let  
you become so stained with the blood of innocents, not  
when you're finally beginning to find happiness and  
find your life again. I can't.......do that to you.  
You've been through to much already. Let me be the one  
to be brave, and do the honorable thing for once."   
She bent down and kissed her friend softly on the  
cheek, before standing up and furiously wiping the  
tears from her eyes.  
"The tranquilizer should last for just over 12  
hours....and by then I'll be long gone Musha-chan.  
After this mission, I can't come back, not after I  
will have caused so many deaths....goodbye  
Musha-chan."  
With that, Tensei turned and walked briskly to the  
door, the pace of her stride sending her blonde hair  
flying out around her, giving off the appearance of a  
halo, and on the floor a single tear fell from Musha's  
closed eyelids. 


	11. The Best Medicine

Notes: I DID IT! * beams with pride * I devoted my entire week to this chapter, wracking my brain to find a way to match Musha's awesome talent… needless to say.. I still suck, but Musha's chapter is next, so rejoice! ^^ and * gets on hands and knees * REVIEW! ONEGAI!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Wufei sighed as he looked at the apartment building that had always seemed much smaller and less intimidating before. 'What the hell am I doing here at one thirty in the morning?' He shook his head as his eyes traveled upward, noticing light coming through one single window. 'That's Musha's apartment…' he thought briefly before stepping out of his car.  
  
Something… that he just couldn't explain… a gut feeling. For reasons beyond his own knowledge, he found his feet moving at an accelerated pace, seemingly not caring if he woke any of the sleeping tenants who resided in this building.  
  
When he finally reached her door, he paused. The door hadn't even been shut completely, open just slightly as if someone had slammed it hastily and left without noticing that the door did not latch. Using that fact to justify his uninvited entrance, he carefully slid the door open and stepped inside.  
  
There was no one there. At least not that he could see when he first stepped in. 'They're sleeping…' he reasoned, but something strange tugged at his heart.  
  
He poked his head into what he assumed to be Musha's bedroom. It was neat, orderly, and overall very simple... But empty. With a sigh, he turned to continue his search. 'They wouldn't have left without shutting off the lights or locking the doors.' He told himself, slightly confused.  
  
It was then that something caught his eye. Leaning down, he picked up the small scrap of cloth to notice that it was damp. He lifted it to his face and cautiously examined the scent, only to throw it back to the floor in absolute shock and fear. "Shimatta!"  
  
He was frantic now! Running to the door, convinced that something had happened to the girls, he almost didn't notice the limp form in the corner of the room. When his eyes finally caught sight of the golden hair sprawled all over the floor, his eyes went wide.  
  
"Musha!!" he immediately ran to the girl's side and checked her pulse. He let out a long, relieved sigh when he found that she was still breathing. He picked her up into his arms, and was about to leave when he remembered that she wasn't the only one who lived there. He knew that she would never forgive him if he left Tensei, so he did a quick search through their apartment, only to find nothing.  
  
Concluding that Tensei was nowhere to be seen, he immediately brought Musha out to his car and started driving towards the hospital.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ring…  
  
Silence.  
  
Ring…  
  
Someone moaned as a slender arm darted from the warmth of the covers and grabbed the bedside clock.  
  
Ring…  
  
"What the…" Sally blinked her eyes a couple of times, finally allowing the sound to register in her brain. She mumbled something about any telemarketer who has the audacity to call at one forty in the morning being killed slowly and painfully, then brought the receiver to her ear. "Hello…?"  
  
Wufei immediately recognized the voice, though groggy with sleep, but it was still Sally Po. "Sally! It's Wufei!"  
  
"Damnit, Wufei…" she allowed her head to fall back onto her pillows, not even trying to mask her annoyance. "What do you want?"  
  
Wufei glanced quickly over to Musha's form, frowning slightly, then focusing his eyes back on the road. "It's Musha. I found her unconscious in her apartment."  
  
Sally's eyes snapped open, now fully awake. She sat up immediately and reached over to flick on her lamp. "What do you mean?!"  
  
"The door was open and the lights were still on. I found her lying on the floor. Sally…" he paused for a moment, "I could have any doctor take care of her, but I would really appreciate it if you would."  
  
Sally nodded in understanding and stood up, questioning Wufei as she located some jeans and a sweatshirt. "Is she breathing?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Pulse?"  
  
"Weak, but still there."  
  
"Skin?"  
  
"A little bit pale."  
  
"Injuries?"  
  
"No. At least not that I could find."  
  
"Do you have any idea what could have caused her to lose consciousness?"  
  
Wufei nodded, which only served to send his car swerving slightly as a dizzy spell overtook him. He quickly regained control of the car and brought his attention back to Sally. "Chloroform."  
  
"Wufei?!"  
  
"I found a cloth on the floor. It smelled of chloroform."  
  
Sally shook her head in disbelief. "You inhaled it?!"  
  
Wufei said nothing, just kept driving, ignoring the tingling feeling he felt in his head that threatened to be the start of a headache.  
  
"Wufei." Sally's voice was no longer sleepy, but firm and authoritative, "Pull over."  
  
Wufei was afraid to shake his head, already feeling the dizziness overcoming him, but he was so close to the hospital, and he sure as hell wasn't going to wait any longer to get Musha there.  
  
"I said pull over!"  
  
"No." Wufei finally answered, "Get your ass over to this hospital and help Musha."  
  
Sally growled in anger, "Wufei! You would endanger her life so easily? Wufei! The chloroform is affecting you!"  
  
He didn't respond. All Sally heard next was a muffled crash.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tensei cursed softly as she surveyed the area before her. She had decided to leave early and take a look at the town that she would soon be destroying. It was foolish, and she knew it, but to her, she didn't have much longer to live anyway. Maybe this the only way she could actually go through with this. Have a look at the innocents that she would be killing so that she could never forget that she deserved her punishment.  
  
She tried her best to smile softly as she spotted a little boy, probably about six or seven years old, sleeping in a hammock that had been strung between two trees in front of his modest home. In his arms, he held a thick stick. It appeared to be some sort of weapon for him to protect his home with. …A stick…  
  
Tensei sighed as she approached the boy, careful not to wake him. She gently brushed a strand of his rough black hair out of his face as her vision blurred the sight of the innocence before her. 'Que duermas bien, niño…" she whispered, gently. Sleep well, child.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Obsidian eyes scanned the room lazily. "Nani…?"  
  
"So, you finally decide to speak?" Sally's voice could be heard, sounding none-too pleased.  
  
Wufei narrowed his eyes slightly and looked over from the uncomfortable chair that he had somehow made his way to. He watched as Sally measured some form of liquid into a syringe, then turned her back to him, injecting it into Musha's arm. "I knew that you were stupid, but I never thought you would so anything THAT stupid." She continued, not bothering to look at him.  
  
Wufei just groaned, "Onna…" he stopped when his eyes caught sight of Musha's still form. Pausing for a moment, he shook his head and asked the question that he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to anyway, "How is she?"  
  
Sally sighed as she disposed of the now empty needle, then walked to a nearbye cabinet, pulling out a few small packages and kneeling in front of Wufei. "She's stable. She's going to need some rest though.  
  
"But as for you…" she ripped open one packet and pulled a damp cloth out of it, wiping some blood off of his forehead. He hadn't even noticed it before…  
  
"I'm very disappointed in you, Wufei."  
  
The Chinese man just glared at the perturbed doctor in front of him. "It's none of your business, onna."  
  
Sally just frowned. "The moment that you called me, Musha became my patient, and when the lives of my patients are at stake, it becomes my business." She paused, only to place some gauze over his cut, and none too gently, before speaking again, "You could have killed her, as well as yourself, you know. So as your friend, superior, and Musha's doctor, I am very disappointed in you."  
  
Wufei just scowled and flinched only slightly when Sally applied the medical tape roughly on his forehead. He would never admit to himself that he had put Musha's life in danger… he just couldn't.  
  
His thoughts were immediately interrupted when a stinging sensation pricked his arm. Jumping only in surprise, he narrowed his eyes at Sally. "Baka onna! What's that?!"  
  
Sally just shook her head in annoyance. "This will combat any traces of the chloroform that may still be in your system."  
  
Wufei growled in slight annoyance and jerked his arm away before Sally could wipe away the spot of blood with his own bare hand, glaring darkly. "I don't need anything. I'm fine. You should be taking care of Musha."  
  
Sally sighed and shook her head. "That's just gross…" she muttered, and continued her work.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre sighed as he exited his car and headed towards the main hall of the Preventers' headquarters. Straightening his tie, he shook his head. 'It wasn't right…' He thought back once again to that moment just recently that he actually showed an outward expression of anger to another person, something that he normally didn't do unless in the most extreme of situations.  
  
'But this situation WAS extreme.' A second voice in his mind reasoned. He paused for a moment, gripping the briefcase that was still, for some reason, in his grasp. He wasn't even supposed to be here! Taking care of his father's business kept him busy enough! So busy, in fact, that he could only manage to make time to work for the Preventers two or three days a week and still manage to keep his sanity. Kind? Yes. Patient? Very. Omnipotent? Not on your life.  
  
He finally reached Tensei's office and knocked gently on the door. He sincerely hoped that she wasn't still angry, though she had every right to be, as he did her. But that wasn't the point. When two disagree, one has to be the first to humble himself and apologize. Only then can the relationship be mended.  
  
Silence.  
  
Quatre knocked again, a bit harder this time, "accidentally" nudging the door open as he did so. One of those classic invasions of privacy that he would justify only this once. When he peeked inside, however, he was only slightly surprised to see that Tensei wasn't even there. Merely shrugging, he assumed that she had done the smart thing and stayed home.  
  
'Baka!' he scolded himself, 'Don't get smug now!'  
  
"Excuse me?" a slightly annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts as Quatre turned to face a young woman, about his age. "Is there something you need?"  
  
Quatre shook his head, "No, thank you, miss." He assumed that this was the new recruit that Trowa had mentioned earlier, the one with the strange eyes. He hadn't even realized that she was completely unaware of who he really was, as he was dressed in a business suit, rather than the Preventer uniform. He watched as she nodded her head and turned to leave.  
  
"Just don't mess anything up, okay pal? If anything happens to this place while the others are gone, it's my ass on the line. I suggest that you get a move on if you have no other business here."  
  
Quatre just nodded and turned to leave himself, when he stopped and turned back to the girl. "Actually…"  
  
He watched the girl's shoulders rise in slight annoyance as she stopped. "Yeah?"  
  
"Could you tell me where I might find Sally and the others? I didn't expect them to be absent today."  
  
Kashoku shrugged. "They're all at the hospital."  
  
Quatre shook his head slightly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Hospital?"  
  
The girl just nodded as she allowed her body to fall into the soft chair behind the reception desk. "Yup. One of those new Gundam pilots was hurt or something like that." She could sense the sudden shock that overcame the young man, but before she got a chance to say anything else, he was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Nhhhnmmnn…. Itai…" Musha moaned softly as she finally returned from the land of sleep. Blinking her eyes a couple of times, she glanced around at the strange white walls of her hospital room and shot straight up. "Nani?!"  
  
"Musha!" Wufei's voice could be heard as he made his way over to her side. "Musha! How are you feeling?"  
  
Musha blinked a few more times before everything finally registered in her brain. "Tensei!!" she opened her eyes fully now and noticed that through the window poured blinding sunlight, indicating that the night was over. "No! NO!!"  
  
Wufei wrapped his arms securely around her and gently shushed her. "Musha… It's all right. We're doing everything we can to find Tensei. Whoever took her isn't going to get away with this, okay?"  
  
Musha shook her head frantically. "You don't understand! No one took Tensei! She left on her own!"  
  
"Nani?!"  
  
Musha looked over to see that Sally had just entered the room with a very tired, very worried looking Quatre. "What are you talking about?" Sally demanded.  
  
Musha shook her head as tears started slipping down her cheeks. "She's gone! We had a talk last night… about out mission. She was talking as if we would never see each other again, then she… put the cloth over my face and just left!"  
  
"Where was the mission, Musha?" The calm in Quatre's voice was obviously forced.  
  
"In a little town called Carmen, on the west coast of Ecuador."  
  
Quatre just nodded, then turned to Sally. He didn't even need to ask. She just nodded her approval and he vanished out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Mari Maya!" a soft, deep voice called.  
  
The young girl turned her wheelchair around to find her mother standing in the doorway, arms crossed with a slightly annoyed frown on her face.  
  
"Mari Maya. What have I told you about toying with the equipment here?"  
  
The girl just looked down, uncertain of what to tell her. Should she tell her adoptive mother of her discovery? But what would happen. This recording indicated the danger of any Gundam pilots under the control of Master U. But if the public found out about this, what would become of those girls. They were now on their side, weren't they? She couldn't tell anyone. Not yet.  
  
"I'm sorry, mother. Just… trying to be some kind of help?"  
  
The woman just smiled faintly and shook her head, "Let's go home now."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre sat in silence in the back of the old taxi as it sped through the streets of Quito, finally turning onto an old, dirt road as it began it's journey through the Andes mountains. It would be a five-hour drive to Carmen, giving him time to contemplate his battle plan for when he finally reached Tensei.  
  
Just before his flight took off for Ecuador, he received a call from Sally, informing him that some of the Earth Sphere officials stationed in Quito had responded to the previous night's incident, and found Tensei and her gundam.  
  
The Omega system had wiped her out again, but they reported that she had sustained more physical injuries than such a gundam should allow from a simple fall. It was later confirmed that she did not lose consciousness when her time ran up, but deliberately crashed her gundam into the ground, unsuccessfully trying to destroy it, as well as herself, no doubt.  
  
He shook his head and sighed, sinking back into the already uncomfortable seat, casting his gaze out the window at the beauty of the Andes mountains. It truly was a sight to see, but he couldn't concentrate on enjoying it right now. At this moment, he was trying to figure out what to say to Tensei when he finally reached Carmen.  
  
He was so lost in thought, that he had hardly even noticed how much time had passed until the driver stopped. "Señor?" he held his hand out with slight impatience.  
  
Quatre merely nodded. "Sí." He handed the man a small stack of bills, still amazed at how inexpensive everything was in this country. Stepping out of the car, he uttered a quick "Gracias." And stepped out of the car. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw the devastation that surrounded him. He could hardly tell that this had once been a civilian town. Shaking his head, he entered the crude building that they called a hospital, which had miraculously survived the attack.  
  
Cautiously, he approached the young man that sat silently in a chair in the corner. "Perdon," Quatre began, causing the man to look up at him curiously. He ignored the stare and continued, "Donde esta Señor Kimi?"  
  
The man just lifted his hand and pointed to a door behind him. With a curt nod, Quatre poked his head through the door.  
  
"Buenos dias, Señor Winner!" A tall man immediately greeted him and opened the door completely, inviting him inside.  
  
Quatre smiled, grateful to be in the presence of someone familiar. "Buenos dias!" his gaze moved to a bed in the corner of the room, a familiar figure sitting up, staring out the small window.  
  
"How is she?" Quatre said quietly.  
  
The other man frowned. "She'll be all right." He began with his thick, Spanish accent, "But she's a stubborn one. We had to sedate her before we could even dress her wounds, she put up such a fight."  
  
Quatre sighed. "Is she speaking to anyone?"  
  
The man grinned slightly. "She had us convinced that she didn't speak any Spanish so that she wouldn't have to answer any of our questions, but a few… choice words slipped out while we were trying to help her." He sighed and looked over to the girl as well, "She still won't say anything though. We made sure that she got the best medical treatment that we had available, but she's still very weak. She refuses to take any medication, and we were afraid of what might happen to her if we administered any more sedatives."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Thank you very much! I'll see if I can talk to her."  
  
"Good luck! Just don't make too much noise. No one knows that she's here. It's for her own protection." That was all he said before leaving the room.  
  
Quatre shook his head in near disbelief as he approached the small bed. Firm… he'd have to be firm. "Tensei."  
  
No answer. She didn't so much as flinch to even acknowledge his presence. The whole time, she had treated him as if he wasn't even there.  
  
"Tensei!" he repeated, a hint of annoyance could be detected in his voice as he reached out his hand to take her own. She immediately whipped it back and snarled.  
  
"Don't touch me…" the venom in her voice did not affect him, as he knew that she would be stubborn as usual.  
  
He just nodded and pulled his hand back to rest at his side. "Tensei. Are you going to listen to me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"All right then." He grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to her bed and sitting down, leaning back to make himself comfortable. "Then I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me."  
  
After about ten minutes of stubborn silence, Quatre finally spoke again. "Damnit, Tensei!! What the hell were you thinking?!"  
  
Tensei was slightly taken aback by his choice of words, but didn't show it. She just continued to stare out the window in silence until a hand gripped her shoulder firmly, forcing her to turn and face a pair of angry eyes.  
  
"I want an answer!!" Tensei didn't even recognize him anymore. It was as if he had thrown away all civility and replaced it with a burning rage.  
  
"Why would you care anyway, Quatre?" she asked a bit shakily.  
  
Quatre let out an exasperated sigh and began to pace around the room. He didn't care about being polite anymore. All he cared about was getting his point across. "How long will it take you to get it through your head that I DO and always WILL care?!"  
  
"HOW?!" Tensei finally shouted in anger, "How can you care about someone who's killed so much?! Have you forgotten what I've done to this world?! I am the cause of suffering of so many people!" her voice was breaking up now as hot salty tears collected in her eyes, but she quickly forced them back. "It's because of me that the world is at war!!!"  
  
Quatre's eyes went wide at those words. 'What?! What the hell is she talking about?! Did she honestly believe that she was responsible for all of this?' his mind thought that it was going to explode. She was beyond reason! In some state of delusion!  
  
"Tensei…" he could almost feel her pain at this point, and wanted nothing more than to tell her gently that none of this was her fault, but he knew that she would not listen. He knew that he had to shock her into understanding somehow.  
  
He straightened himself up and glared down at her, taking on the appearance of an angry father scolding a foolish child. "You have to listen to me. I don't care anymore whether you want to or not." He leaned down, his face only inches from her, his angry eyes meeting with her own defiant ones.  
  
"You tried to kill yourself, didn't you?" She just nodded and he closed his eyes, "I thought so…" he waited a moment before opening his eyes again and glaring down at her. "Fool."  
  
Tensei blinked in faint surprise. In the short time that she had known him, she had never seen him so angry, yet terrified at the same time.  
  
"Coward."  
  
The girl just shook her head. 'What's happened to him?' she wondered, almost afraid of the dangerous look in his eyes. She responded terribly to harsh words, the only thing keeping her eyes dry was the thorough hate that she held for herself.  
  
"Liar." His words sounded even harsher now and she soon found herself wondering if this was even Quatre after all.  
  
"You abandoned her."  
  
Tensei's defenses crashed as she tried to bolt up, but Quatre grabbed both of her arms, slamming her back down onto her bed, holding there so that she had no choice but to watch and hear him, and only him.  
  
He brought his face right up into hers, his hard gaze never faltering. "You let him control your mind. You let him hurt your best friend! Your sister!"  
  
Tensei winced, pulling herself back into the mattress, wishing that it would open up and swallow her right there. She had never felt so helpless in her life. "Quatre…" her voice came out as barely a whisper, but he didn't let her finish.  
  
"You tried to kill yourself! You selfish brat! You would kill yourself and leave everyone else to bear this burden?!" He hated being this way… so… cruel. But he had no choice. He couldn't say it gently. She would never listen. She had to understand the consequences of what would have happened had she been killed in the crash.  
  
Tensei just shook her head in disbelief. "Quatre! What's happened to you?!"  
  
Quatre just tightened his grip on her arms and glared darkly. "I'm trying to make it clear to you that you are not the only one that's suffering Tensei! You're not the only one who's killed people! You're not the only one with blood staining your hands! If every blood stained soldier killed themselves, then where would we be, huh?!"  
  
"Quatre…" Tensei's eyes filled with tears that refused to fall, "I'm sorry… I didn't-" she tried to explain herself, but he cut her off.  
  
"You're damn right, you're sorry!" he cupped her chin with one hand, his eyes burning into hers. "You're going to promise me right now that you will NEVER do such a thing EVER again! That you will stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on the task at hand!! The world is a cruel place, Tensei! So instead of running from it, learn to live in it!"  
  
Upon seeing the tears finally stream down her cheeks, his heart shattered and his eyes softened. He felt like scum, but he knew that this was the only way that he'd get through to her. He sighed, calming down a bit, then said gently, "Promise me."  
  
Tensei just nodded.  
  
"Promise!!"  
  
"I promise!!" Her voice no longer sounded defiant, but broken and afraid. "I promise…" she whispered softly before Quatre just nodded and let go of her arms, taking a step back. Without another word, Tensei flipped herself onto her stomach, crossing her arms over her pillow and resting her head between them, hiding the rest of the tears that fell from her eyes.  
  
With a soft sigh, Quatre turned and reached into the bag that Musha had thrust into his arms before he left for the airport, and took out a black hairbrush. Silently, he walked back up to the girl and took a handful of her hair, pulling the brush through it gently to rid her of the snarls that had gone neglected for so long.  
  
Tensei's eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, then relaxed back into the pillow. She was angry with him, but at that moment, the unspoken comfort that Quatre offered through his simple actions proved to be a more attractive option… for now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wufei glared menacingly down at the lumpy substance inside the Styrofoam bowl that he held in his hand. "What do you call this, again?" he asked Sally, not looking up from the goop that he had mentally dubbed the "4th grade science experiment gone terribly wrong."  
  
"It's called meatloaf." Sally answered him with a smug grin. She had been waiting for the day that she could torture Wufei with hospital food.  
  
"Ano…" Musha's normally confident voice was filled with bewilderment this time, "Are you sure? It looks more like beef stew…"  
  
Sally just laughed. "Honestly! You two are gundam pilots and you can't even handle a little bit of meatloaf?!"  
  
"Beef stew…" Musha added, still slightly in a daze.  
  
Wufei just grunted and set the substance aside. "Anyway, when can we go?"  
  
Sally sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Any time now. All I have to do is get the paperwork." She just closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, making no move to leave from her spot.  
  
"Well?" Wufei asked, slightly annoyed.  
  
Sally blinked and looked up at Wufei curiously. "Yeah?"  
  
Wufei just growled. "Onna!"  
  
Sally laughed and shook her head. "But it's so much fun torturing you! Just wait 'till dinner tonight! They're serving mystery meat!"  
  
Musha paled visibly. "These people really do that?" Sally just nodded proudly.  
  
"Anyway…" Sally finally gave in to Wufei's death glare and stood up, "I'll go get those forms for you. I'll be back in just a few minutes." Without so much as another word, she left the room.  
  
Musha just sighed and looked back down to the magazine that she had been reading. Actually, she didn't want to be reading it. It was a fashion magazine… but at this point, she would do anything to escape Wufei's hard gaze.  
  
After only a few minutes, Wufei finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "Stop that, onna."  
  
Musha immediately looked up, confusion written all over her face. "Why, you want this magazine instead?" she raised and eyebrow and attempted to laugh a little.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about." Wufei said, sounding slightly agitated as he crosses his arms over his chest.  
  
"No…" Musha stared at him, a little bit angry herself this time, "I don't know."  
  
The Chinese man sighed and shook his head. "Stop pretending like you're all right, because you're not!"  
  
Musha's eyes went wide. "How dare you?! What the hell are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine!"  
  
Wufei just closed his eyes and leaned back, "You're worried to death about Tensei. I can feel it, so stop acting as if everything is all right and let out your frustration, onna."  
  
Musha was utterly dumbfounded. Had he just said what she thought he did?! "What do you mean by letting it all out?" I'll beat you if you like!" Her eyes held an angry flare, but within that flare flickered the slightest bit of distress.  
  
Wufei just stood up and leaned against the wall, a slight smirk could be found to rest upon his lips. "You're too weak to tell anyone what upsets you, Musha. You're afraid, aren't you?"  
  
The next thing that could be heard was a few quick footsteps, then a loud smack, followed by a muttered, "Baka…"  
  
Only moments later did Musha allow her actions to register in her brain. "Oh gods… Wufei… I'm so sorry… I didn't mean."  
  
Wufei held one hand up for silence, his other hand gently cradling his cheek, which was now red and swelling. She had hit him. Not one of those weak, girly slaps, but a heavy slug, that made a distinct cracking sound when her fist connected with his face.  
  
Musha thought for sure that she was in for it now. What she had just done was totally uncalled for, and he would, no doubt, be furious. Wincing only slightly, she absentmindedly took a slight step back, but froze when she heard a sound come from his mouth.  
  
Not words of anger or rage. No… this was quite the opposite. The mighty Chang Wufei had just been smacked in the face, and instead of going into one of his usual rants about honor, he laughed.  
  
It wasn't much of a laugh. In fact, it seemed a bit forced, then again, any laugh coming from Wufei was forced, but usually sarcastic. He shook his head and looked up at Musha, actually smiling. "Thank you." He said, gently rubbing his tender cheek.  
  
The girl blinked and shook her head. "Excuse me?" She tried to be angry with his remark, but she just couldn't. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming sensation of relief. As if she had waited all her life just to smack him.  
  
Wufei simply shrugged. "You're worried about Tensei. You had to take it out on someone."  
  
"But… I didn't mean to take it out on you!"  
  
Wufei shook his head, "Of course not, but I meant to have you take it out on me. And now, do you feel any better?"  
  
Musha's eyes narrowed. He had planned this!! "No…" she muttered.  
  
"Okay." Wufei crossed his arms over his chest, "Now tell the truth. Do you feel any better?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"See?" Wufei shook his head then stepped up to Musha until he was only a couple feet away from her, "You just released all of that stress that was building up inside of you. You feel better now, don't you?"  
  
Musha hung her head slightly and nodded. Who was he?! How could he know how she felt? It unnerved her. She didn't like this at all.  
  
"Good."  
  
Before Musha could reply, Sally walked back in with two clipboards, then sighed in frustration when she noticed the bruise on Wufei's face. "Damn…" she walked up to him and examined it closely, "I'm not even going to ask. I'll just assume that whatever happened was because of your stupidity."  
  
"Fair enough." He answered her, his eyes not moving from Musha as he took the clipboard from Sally's hand.  
  
She handed one to Musha as well. "Just sign on the line and you're free to go." She raised an eyebrow, "If I let you two go back in the same car, can I be confident that you'll both be alive to come to work tomorrow?"  
  
The two just nodded slightly as Sally took the clipboards back. "All right." She looked down at her watch, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and get some sleep. As for the two of you, I want you both to rest as well. Tomorrow, we have to plan on how to tell the media about Miss Relena's recovery."  
  
"What about Tensei?" Musha wondered aloud, her voice void of any emotion.  
  
Sally just nodded. "Quatre's gone to get her. They should be back in a few days."  
  
Musha nodded in understanding. "Arigato…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The young blonde man sighed as he rolled down the window in the back of the taxi, staring out the window as the city of Quito came into sight. It was truly beautiful, and the weather was magnificent. Mid-60's year round.  
  
He had now grown accustomed to the maniacal style of the Ecuadorian taxi drivers, and paid no mind to the treacherous canyons below as the small car would speed merely inches away from the edge of the cliffs. Funny how some things just don't scare you anymore.  
  
Turning his head to the side, he cast his gaze to the girl who also had her window rolled down, elbow resting on the ledge, chin resting in her palm. She just stared off into the distance as if she weren't even there. Quatre couldn't help but laugh silently at the picture that she made. She had the unmistakable appearance of a stubborn five year old, being dragged home from the playground before she wanted to.  
  
Not a word was spoken during the five-hour drive. They both used that time to think and reflect on the previous day's events. Quatre finally decided that it was time to break the silence.  
  
"Do you hate me?" He watched her, expecting her to at least turn to look at him, but she just continued to stare outside.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because."  
  
"Because why?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
Quatre grinned slyly. He knew that she wasn't the kind to get angry easily, much less stay angry! "You don't know, do you?"  
  
Nothing again.  
  
"I hope you realize how immature you're being right now." Quatre frowned slightly, leaning back in his seat, looking out his window once more.  
  
A few more moments of silence passed until Tensei finally turned to face Quatre. "How's Musha doing?" The defiance had fled from her voice, leaving it soft and meek.  
  
Quatre just closed his eyes and shrugged indifferently. "She's fine. Probably getting out of the hospital right about now."  
  
Tensei looked down, taking notice for the first time of the intricate pattern of threads that constructed her denim shorts. She didn't need to say anything. Quatre knew how she felt.  
  
"So…" he began, "We're going to be here for a few days, so if there's anything in particular that you'd like to do during our stay, let me know."  
  
Tensei blinked in surprise. "A few days?"  
  
Maybe that had not been the best way to tell her. Before he left, everyone had agreed that he and Tensei should stay in Quito for a few days. Giving Tensei some time to wind down, and Musha some time to fully recover. Both girls had just suffered intense emotional trauma. They needed some time to just relax before seeing each other again.  
  
Quatre just nodded. "Hai. I mean… we're here, aren't we? Besides, you need some time to yourself. I'll give you all the space that you need. Just relax, okay?"  
  
Tensei just sighed and sank into her seat.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Clop. Clop. Clop.  
  
Groan.  
  
Clop. Clop. Clop.  
  
Sigh.  
  
Clop. Clop. Clop.  
  
"Argh! Hiiro! Will you please stop that?!"  
  
"Stop what?!"  
  
The young world leader pointed to the worn mark on her carpet where Hiiro had been pacing for the last three hours. "You're wearing it out! That carpeting isn't cheap, you know!"  
  
Hiiro just shook his head angrily. "Then buy cheaper carpeting!" He just continued his pacing, seeming to ponder something.  
  
Relena just sighed and collapsed onto the sofa. "You can stop trying to prevent the inevitable, Hiiro." She said with a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. True, she did love him, but he could at least be a little more reasonable at times!  
  
"But this is too soon! You still need to rest!"  
  
Relena shook her head. "Hiiro. It's important that I return to work right away. With all that's been going on…" her eyes took on a distant look.  
  
Hiiro sighed in annoyance and sat beside her, taking her hand into his. Not gently or tenderly, but clumsily, like a little boy picking up a baby doll, and not knowing quite what to do with it. "Listen…" he began, his fingers absentmindedly stroking the back on her hand, "I understand how much your work means to you… but you really need to take a break."  
  
Relena smiled gently. "But Hiiro… I DID take a break! A long one!"  
  
Hiiro frowned. "Don't joke about that."  
  
Relena just shook her head and sighed, "Hiiro… if we don't joke, what will we do? The only way to survive this is to keep spirit, okay?" Hiiro's frown still remained, so Relena just leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Aishiteru, Hiiro."  
  
Hiiro sighed, as if that one confession took away his worries, for that moment, at least. "Aishiteru."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wufei… this really isn't necessary." Musha stared nervously down at the bowl of soup that the Chinese man had just placed in front of her. "You… really didn't have to go through all that trouble."  
  
Wufei just shook his head and took a seat across from the near-frantic girl. "Just eat, onna. You need your health." He watched as the girl hesitantly lifted the spoon to her lips, choosing not to make a big deal of the insulting nickname that he still hadn't stopped using for her.  
  
She winced slightly as the substance met with her taste buds, but had no intention of ever telling the man that she preferred the "beef stew" to this… concoction.  
  
Wufei nodded approvingly and leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the apartment. He had never really gotten a good look at it before, and right about now, he would do just about anything to avoid having to talk.  
  
'Baka…' his mind had been scolding him for the last few hours. His original mission was to come and talk to this girl, but he still had not even made an attempt at anything more than 'Sit here.' And 'Eat this.' He was worried about her, and rightfully so.  
  
With a sigh, he looked back to the girl who had fixed her eyes on some foreign looking piece of… something in the soup, obviously trying to decipher what it was before letting it anywhere near her mouth. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to…"  
  
Musha's eyes traveled up to meet with those of the man opposite her. "Are you serious or do you just want to find another reason to yell at me?"  
  
Wufei took that comment with grace and ease, immediately jumping up from his seated position, face red with anger. "What do you mean by that, onna?! I'm not yelling at you!!!" He stopped once he realized just how foolish he sounded, then sat back down carefully.  
  
"I'm sorry…" he cursed himself mentally and shook his head. This was too hard. What the hell was he doing anyway, falling in love? He was confused and uncertain, and taking all his anger out on the very reason for his confusion. That made sense… No! No, it didn't!  
  
He just sighed and leaned back. "I was wrong to yell at you."  
  
"Yes…" Musha answered simply, "You were wrong…" she sighed and shoved the bowl aside, "But I know why you did it."  
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow at the girl. She sure was a puzzle… just like him. She had a certain air about her that reminded him so much of himself. It was a bit unnerving, but settling at the same time, knowing that there was someone else who seemed to understand him.  
  
"I told you before…" he paused, before standing up and walking around the table, "That I love you. And I still mean it, so I'm going to respect your wishes, and leave you to yourself."  
  
Musha nodded gratefully and stood up herself, only about a foot from Wufei. "Arigato…"  
  
Before she could turn, he grabbed her wrist gently and pulled her closer, laying a soft kiss on her lips. "And I fear that I will always love you, so you'd better take good care of yourself." That said, he left the small apartment as Musha just stared after him.  
  
"…I… love you too, Wufei…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tensei sighed and leaned back against the wall of Quito's largest museum. She was bored. She looked over to Quatre, who's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he tried to understand the young tour guide. She, however, gave up long ago.  
  
This museum had many English-speaking visitors, so all of the guides were trained to speak in English. However, Tensei found it easier to understand flawless Spanish than poor English. She just sighed and shook her head, giving Quatre a pleading glance.  
  
The young man nodded in understanding and raised his hand to the tour guide, who was too focused to using proper grammar to even acknowledge Quatre. He didn't stop until Quatre thrust a bill into his hand for a tip and smiled a quick "Gracias." The guide just grinned, and shook Quatre's hand before heading off down the hall.  
  
Quatre looked over to Tensei and sighed. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be sorry." They were the first words she had said all afternoon. "I just wasn't feeling up to translating."  
  
Quatre smiled. "I know what you mean." He shrugged his shoulders, thrusting his hands into his pockets, "I suppose that we should make arrangements to return home now…"  
  
Tensei's eyes seemed to light up. 'Finally!' she thought. "You mean it?"  
  
Quatre nodded, "It's been almost a week, and the Preventers are swamped now that the world knows of Miss Relena's recovery."  
  
Tensei nodded slowly. "But… You still don't trust me to go back, do you? You think that I'll do something stupid…"  
  
Quatre shook his head. "I've done all that I can."  
  
Tensei looked at him with curiosity, "What if I try to kill myself again?"  
  
Quatre closed his eyes and smiled only faintly. "You won't. You never intended to kill yourself in the first place. If you had truly wanted to kill yourself, you would have been able to do it easily." He opened his eyes and watched her wring her hands together nervously.  
  
"If you don't mind my asking…" he began as he lead her outside, "I'm only curious… why didn't you go through with it. You sounded so sincere to Musha…"  
  
Tensei sighed and glanced up to the mountains, "I was bound… by a promise from long ago…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"We lost this round…" the man's voice was heavy with disappointment. He stood outside of the museum, observing the two young people, eyes narrowed with distaste. "But the game isn't over yet…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Tensei… are you all right?"  
  
The girl just shook her head, "He… he's dead…"  
  
"Who?" Musha's brow furrowed in confusion, "Who's dead?" They had no friends or relatives to speak of, so who could she be so heart broken over?  
  
"Pilot 03… he was destroyed… by 04…" The girl seemed to be in some sort of a daze, and Musha frowned. Her friend took so many things too personally. "His own comrade…"  
  
Musha sighed. So much for the theory that Gundam pilots were invincible. "Tensei… in war… horrible things will happen…" She couldn't help but notice the tinge of fear that she felt in her heart. She knew that her time would come soon. That she and her dear sister would be off to fight. What would happen then? What if…? No. No! She would never allow that… Never…  
  
"Tensei…" she placed a gentle hand on her best friend's shoulder, "That will never be us. You know why?"  
  
"Why?" Tensei looked pathetic. Her eyes were wide and rimmed with tears. Not the eyes of one who belonged on the battlefield. That was why Musha decided to be her strength.  
  
"Because we're going to promise each other right now that when we die… we die together."  
  
"Musha…"  
  
She wouldn't let her finish, "Because we have no memory of our lived before now… I like to assume that you and I were "born" together… in the same way, we will die together, all right? No need to fear… we're never going to be apart."  
  
Tensei smiled. "Arigato, Musha-chan…"  
  
Violet eyes snapped open as the owner's breathing came heavily. Musha scanned her surroundings and found herself back in her apartment. She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow and stood from her meditative position with a smile on her face.  
  
"That's why, Tensei…" she whispered softly to herself, "That's why you couldn't go through with it… and I thank you…" 


	12. Destiny's Challenge

GAH! I don'T believe this! This has to be a record for me! Two chapters in two weeks! *DIES* I guess I'm just so eager to read Tensei-chan's incredible talent!!!!!! Don'T worry! Her chapter will be coming out soon!  
  
P.S TENSEI ROCKS!  
  
P.P.S TENSEI REALLY ROCKS!  
  
P.P.P.S I don't own any of the songs mentioned, the only characters I do own are Musha Eien aka Hoshi aka Samantha Ling and her Gundam, StarsFury. Thats it!  
  
  
  
A feather floated upon the sea breeze, unable to escape from the gentle gusts of wind, it floated along the sand, only to get caught deep within the brown fur of a dog, that seemed to be racing the very waves themselves.  
  
It wasn't long, until the feather found itself traveling through the wreckage of a once beautiful town, upon the back of the very dog that it had been caught upon, before that same stubborn gust of wind picked it up and carried it away, over the form of a crying girl, unable to find her family.  
  
Wild cheers rose up from a stadium that the feather suddenly found itself almost violently ripping through, people screamed in joy as the final shot was made successfully, ending the tense game for both the viewers, and the gamers.  
  
Now, the feather seemed to move gracefully into an opened window, floating no longer on a breeze, but rather on a soft melody, that floated upon the air lighter than the feather itself.  
  
"I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"  
  
kono mune no kodou wa  
  
anata e to tsudzuite'ru so far away"  
  
The voice rose and fell as it trembled with emotion. Sweeping throughout the entire room, and rendering all that it touched with a strange sense of awe, and disbelief, as the young girl named Tensei Jianio stood alone at the Preventers base.  
  
And sang.  
  
"mou   kizutsuite mo ii  
  
hitomi wo sorasazu ni  
  
atsuku   hageshiku ikite itai"  
  
She'd seen war, been trained for it, and sometimes even she believed that she'd been born for the soul purpose of existing in it. But nothing, no training nor stories, whether it be a simple joy or an untold sorrow, could have prepared her for what it would be like to actually live within the heat of battle.  
  
"akiramenai tsuyosa wo  
  
kureru anata dakara dakishimetai"  
  
The voice grew in intensity now, almost rising to the extent that it could be mistaken for a soldiers war cry, or perhaps the scream of a victims anguish. She didn't dare tell anyone how she felt, not even her dear friend Musha. War wasn't about winning and glory, or even loosing and the bitter taste of defeat. Iie, war was about taking lives, for the simple pleasure of saying that you could.  
  
And only the lost souls could ever enter that state.  
  
"I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"  
  
ayamachi mo itami mo  
  
azayaka na isshun no hikari e to michibiete  
  
I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"  
  
kono mune no kodou wa  
  
anata e to tsudzuite'ru so far away"  
  
The window suddenly slammed shut, guided by an unseen hand, and startled the girl out of her nearly violent song. Letting out a nervous sigh, she softly moved to the window to reassure her shaken nerves that it truly was only the wind, and nothing more.  
  
As she moved, she was totally oblivious to the feather that glided past her and out the open door, towards the heart of the previously named building.  
  
The feather twisted and turned, but never touched the floor. Like the window, it guided by unseen hands as it moved throughout the deserted halls until, it reached a small almost hidden room at the bottom of the building, where a young Arabian stood, holding within his grasp a violin, as a tender tune, consumed with unspoken words and feelings, leaped from the instrument.  
  
"Yawaraka na hizashi ni hoho ni uke  
  
Muchuu de hashitta tooi hi yo  
  
Yureugoku toki no naka de ima  
  
Hontou no ai wo motomeru "  
  
It was said that he was the leader, the one who would unite the the elite soldiers known as the gundam pilots, and lead them all to victory. It was said that he was the one that would control them, and teach them to fight as a team, to ensure victory for both the beautiful Earth, and the magnificent colonies.  
  
But....  
  
How could he bring control to his fellow pilots, when he couldn't even control himself?  
  
"Setsunasa ni mune wo itamete  
  
Jibun sae miushinau koto mo atta "  
  
The music came faster, and the unheard words grew louder as the boy let himself forget about everything, and loose himself within the song. He was a follower who was forced to lead, a man who was still a child, light in the darkness, and a shadow in the light.  
  
He didn't fit into any one group, where did he belong?  
  
"BRAVE EYES  
  
Onaji kibou onaji kanashimi wo  
  
Tsuyoku kamishimete asu-"  
  
The melody suddenly stopped, as Quartre Rebaba Winner let go of the violin to brush away the feather that had found itself by his left eye. Lifted by the motion, the feather flew out the crack in the wall, away from the boy without a place, and out into the warm summer day. Past the parking lot, and the street it traveled, until it found itself in a small forest, where a young girl fought at the air furiously, her motions forming a silent dance, and song.  
  
"Iiwake wa shinai ze Nagusame mo iranai  
  
Ore dake wa shinjite 'ru "  
  
Trained to be a warrior, no attachments, no connections, no fear. But, you couldn't eliminate fear, life was nothing without connections, and attachments could determine the outcome of an entire war.  
  
This was what she believed, not as a soldier, not as a civilian, but as a human.  
  
Why did that make her so different?  
  
"Itsuwari no jiyuu ni shibareta kokoro ja  
  
Shinjitsu wa tsukamenai "  
  
Her breathing began to come labored, and her motions became harsher. Driven by an undisciplined anger. Everyone was always saving her, always getting hurt because of her. Her friends, her family, her allies. And she dared to call herself a warrior?! How could she do that, when she'd been the cause of so much pain and suffering?  
  
She was afraid to fight!  
  
"Chi ni nijimu kono te de mamoritsuzuketai  
  
Kono inochi nante kiete yuku ryuusei "  
  
She stopped suddenly and seemingly glared at the feather that seemed to drift on the air before her. Pausing for only a moment, she furiously beated at the breeze that carried the feather, successfully shooing it away from her, and deeper into the forest.  
  
It glided upon the air, past the trees and the birds that called the forest their home, before coming to a small meadow barely a mile away, where a young boy sat in a meditative stance, his soft timed breathing seeming to meld in with tune of the nature around him.  
  
"Yami no naka kodoku ha mezameru  
  
Hate shinai tabi  
  
Itsu no hika mata de au darou  
  
Itamidashita kizu ga wasure ha shinai"  
  
Justice, strength, honour. He'd decided long ago that the world itself had forgotten that such words had ever existed, and upon realizing that, he'd decided that it was his place to teach the fools of the world who had forgotten, that such things should haunt your memory forever.  
  
Then, he himself had discovered something, while trying to teach the world of justice, strength and honour.  
  
He was the fool.  
  
"Furimuku tabi ni  
  
Kotae wo sono te ni daki  
  
Miorosu you ni tatsu ore no kage"  
  
His eyebrows knotted into a frown, and his shoulders tensed. For a brief moment, he had actually believed that he was undefeatable, that he was justice and it was his mission to make all mortals and idiots that dwelled in existence now, realize just what justice was.  
  
It was shortly after that, that he'd realized that he was the idiot, the one learning about justice and making mistakes that cost people their lives.  
  
"Let Into Top motomeru no ha  
  
Ashita he no tame janaku  
  
Ima wo iki nuite yuku tame  
  
Let Into Top motomenagara  
  
Ore ha ore no inochi wo  
  
Tada hitotsu tashikameru"  
  
His eyes snapped open and he instinctively reached out to grab the feather he knew to be hovering near his face, before pausing and merely flicking it away with his wrist. The feather floated up and danced within the rays of the sun. Powered by the souls of the four people whom's lives it had just barely touched. A lost soul, a boy without a place, a warrior who was afraid to fight, and a boy who had lost justice,their futures were left within unseen hands.  
  
****************  
  
Tensei looked down at the table top, her finger tips running softly along the grains of wood. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were slightly filthy, but there war an air of power and of alertness surrounding her form.  
  
She was ready, for the first time in her entire life, she felt that she was ready to face whatever the future would through at her. Good, bad, ugly, or something unspeakable. She was ready.  
  
And she couldn't explain why.  
  
"So you two are Hoshi and HIkari?"  
  
Tensei's head shot up and she threw a quick glance at Musha, but her friend didn't so much as flinch. Her violet eyes were filled with a undying flame, and Tensei knew that her friend was driven by the same sense of strength that she herself was.  
  
"No."  
  
The woman known as Lady Une blinked in faint confusion, before hardening her gaze and beginning to write something down. "I see...."  
  
Tensei sighed, and began to explain to Lady Une while she threw an irritated glance at her friend. "We no longer go by the names that Master U gave us, call us Musha and Tensei."  
  
The pencil stopped in it's movements, and was placed gently on the table. Lady Une looked up and locked eyes with Relena Peacecraft, whom was standing in the back of the room next to Hiiro. "They seem very loyal to you, Miss Relena."  
  
"You know." Musha retorted darkly. "If you don't trust us, just say it."  
  
Wufei smirked faintly.  
  
"They have proven to me time and time again Lady Une." Replied Relena, smiling as Hiiro took her slender hand within his own calloused one. "That they are true to their word, whether it be for the best, or for the worst.  
  
Tensei flushed deeply and seemed to shrink down in her seat, as she suddenly found herself fixed under the gaze of every being in the room. "Nani?" She squeaked.  
  
Quartre turned his gaze away from the fidgeting Tensei and absentmindedly played with the pencil within his grasp. Tensei had already been punished enough, she didn't deserve to be questioned further. "Lady Une, we're not here to question Miss Musha's and Miss Tensei's loyalty, but rather what we plan to do next in regards to the battle."  
  
"Hai." Murmured Hiiro. "You would have to be a baka not to realize that we have reached a climax in the battle. "  
  
"More likely a braided baka."  
  
Duo jumped up, forcing Musha to duck to avoid being struck by his swinging braid, and gaped at Wufei.  
  
"Even when we're trying to serious, you call me that!?"  
  
He shrugged, casting a quick almost unnoticeable glance towards Musha, who was muttering a curse under her breath, before replying. "It's the truth."  
  
"WHY YOU-"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Sally shouted out, gathering the attention of everyone within the room. "Save your frustration for the battlefield, we don'T have the time to fight each other!"  
  
Tensei's eyes flickered over the now silent table. She knew that what Sally had said was true of course, but everyone was so tense. If they didn't all release this fear and anger, someone was bound to explode...again. "Hiiro, do you have any idea what the 'climax' is?"  
  
"I doubt that even zero could have shown me what would happen next."  
  
"So now what!?" Shouted Duo, exasperated. He felt even his patients being stretched to their limits. " It's one thing to realize that something is going to happen, it's something entirely different to find out just what that something is!"  
  
Lady Une let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sob, before practically shouting. "We know that Duo! That's why we're trying to figure out, and you six quarreling Gundam Pilots aren't-" She trailed off and blinked, seeming to reconsider something. "Six...matte, where's Trowa?"  
  
The tension faded from the room for a brief moment and an illusion of mirth replaced it.  
  
In the middle of a war, such moments of joy and laughter were rare, but when they did grace the weary souls for even a mere instant, it was cherished and held onto for as long as the moment would allow.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Well? Where is he?"  
  
"Trowa...is...well..." Quartre smiled faintly. "Busy."  
  
"Busy?"  
  
"Leave it at this, Lady Une." Said Sally, resting her head on her hands. "Ever since Trowa began training the new recruit Kashoku, his laughter hasn't been as scarce."  
  
Musha suddenly stood up, her fists clenched tightly by her sides. A fact that didn'T go unnoticed by the other occupants of the room. "I would like to request permission to go and speak with Master U."  
  
"NANI?!" Tensei exploded, knocking her chair over. "Musha! You have got to be kidding me! He's going to be furious with us!"  
  
"Exactly why I should go and ask why!"  
  
"Demo-"  
  
Sally stood up as well now, her gaze locking with Musha's. "Musha, as your doctor, your friend, and your superior, I can'T allow thi-"  
  
"Sally." Musha interrupted, the flame in her eyes igniting into a raging inferno. "I'm not asking you as a soldier, I'm asking you as a human who almost watched her friend be killed at the orders of a man who raised her. You either give me permission as a preventer, or I go simply as Musha Eien."  
  
Sally looked away, praying to any God that may be listening that she wouldn'T regret this decision later. "Fine..."  
  
"Iie." Wufei jumped up, his shoulders tense and his eyes determined. "Iie, not here, not now, not alone." He glanced at Sally, barely looking away from Musha. "I'm going with her."  
  
"I want to do this alone." Remarked Musha darkly, before leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest, as if daring Wufei to object further.  
  
But there was something in her stance, in her smirk that spoke of a challenge, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Musha was in some way, in some form, testing Wufei.  
  
But what happened next, rendered everyone speechless.  
  
Wufei looked away and reluctantly sat down again. He remained silent for a long time, and when he finally spoke, it came out shaking with faint anger, as if he was torturing himself by saying this. "Fine onna."  
  
Tensei gasped and stared at Musha, whom also seemed shocked but covered up her surprise quickly. "Arigato." She smiled faintly before moving towards the door. "I'll see all of you later." And then she was gone.  
  
As she watched her friend go, Tensei didn'T notice she's snapped her pencil until she felt Quartre's gentle touch upon her fingertips.  
  
*******************  
  
Musha sighed and ran her fingertips through her golden hair, her statement grim. She would make Master U pay for placing such a burden upon Tensei's shoulders, she would make him pay for making her dear friend feel as if she had the very world upon her soul, and drive her to find herself in a situation where she was just as well forced to kill the lives of thousands of innocents.  
  
'For all that', she thought quietly. 'I will make him pay.'  
  
Her eyes flickered down to the star pendent that she always wore. It was the only thing that could prove to her that she wasn't born into Master U's care, and that she had a life before that.  
  
Sometimes though, she couldn't help but wonder which choice she preferred; being born into Master U's care, and being forced to grow up a soldier with Tensei, or coming into existence into a real family, with a real mother and father, but never knowing Tensei at all.  
  
She shook her head furiously to rid herself of these all to familiar thoughts. "It's time to go....."  
  
Just as she was about to go, she was suddenly spun around from behind and placed gently up against a wall. Before she could utter a cry or raise a hand to strike back, she found herself staring directly into infuriated black eyes.  
  
"WUFEI?!" She cried, her eyes growing wide with anger or shock, she wasn't sure. "NANDE KUSO do you think you're doing!?!?"  
  
"I should be asking you the same question onna."  
  
She growled. "How many times to I need to tell you to stop calling me that!"  
  
"Until you prove yourself worthy of a name!" He practically shouted in a low furious voice, not seeming to notice that he was still grasping her shoulders and refusing to let her go.  
  
Musha paid it no heed, choosing to politely ignore it, while she was totally lost within her anger. "Prove myself worthy of a name!? " She demanded, the inferno in her eyes growing into a intense blaze. "What more do I have to do to prove to you that I am strong, and that I am a warrior! Or are you to frightened to admit it that a onna can actually take care of herself and figh-"  
  
A hush reigned over the room, as Wufei silenced the ranting Musha with a soft and tender kiss.  
  
"Don'T you see onna..." he whispered quietly, pulling away and looking deep into her surprised eyes. "I'm not afraid of a woman fighting, I'm afraid of you fighting. Not because I don't think you can, but because I'm afraid of what will happen while you are fighting." He didn't truly know what he was doing, speaking to her like this, and telling her what he was telling her. But, he couldn't order Musha around, and demand her to do something. He'd tried that, and he had quickly realized that it wouldn't work. He couldn't command something of someone that was better than him.  
  
And he was sure now that that was what made Musha different from other women. She was better than him.  
  
She shook her head slowly, sending her golden hair flying out around her head like a halo. "I..don't understand, Wufei."  
  
"Neither do I, but we don't need to." He placed his hand under her chin and gently tilted her head so she was once again looking at him directly in the eyes. "Don't live for revenge, Tensei came back fine. There is no reason to go off and fight in this meaningless battle. All you need to know is that you're wanted, iie, you're needed here."  
  
Then, she did the last thing that he was expecting. She leaned forward and kisses him quickly on the lips before pulling back, a few tears sparkling in her eyes. "Then, you don't understand Wufei. I'm not doing this just for Tensei. I'm, being selfish." She looked away and unclasped her necklace, playing with it in her grasp. "When I was under Akki's control. I saw something, a little girl named Samantha. Wufei, she had a pendent, just like this one." She held up her necklace now, barely noticing how Wufei tensed as she mentioned the time when she had been trapped. "I saw the girls home attacked, and strange men in the shadows drag her off. Wufei, I think Master U knows more than he's telling us. And I want, iie, I need to know who I am."  
  
He glared, then kissed her tenderly on the lips again, before pulling away and almost roughly letting go of her. "Fine, go onna."  
  
She looked at him in confusion, as if unsure of what to make of his actions, or her own. "Here, a promise I'll come back." Then after placing something cold within his grasp, she turned and ran out the door.  
  
He watched her go until the door shut and he was alone in the room, before looking down at the object within his hand.  
  
There, glittering back at him was a star necklace.  
  
*****************  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
Quartre didn't need to look up from the papers he was glancing over. He already knew who it was, his space heart told him. He shut his eyes and sighed softly. "What do you mean, Miss Tensei?"  
  
The girl in question walked into the room and leaned down on his desk. "You know what I mean. After I've been so cruel to you, you still came and saved me. I want to know why." She paused, before adding. "And don't call me Miss."  
  
He stared at her, unsure of what to make of her actions. "Mi-...Tensei. I don'T think you know what you'Re saying..."  
  
"Hai! I do! Quartre, I was cruel to you, I am a horrible person! I told you to leave me alone, I knocked out Musha, I almost betrayed our promise, I nearly killed hundreds of innocents, I'm the reason that this entire war is going on!"  
  
"Matte!"  
  
Tensei stopped and looked up, and Quartre was almost surprised to see that there were no tears within her eyes. 'She's sincere.' He thought as realization dawned on him. 'She truly believes that she is the cause of this entire war.'  
  
"Do you realize it now, Quartre?" She murmured quietly. "That I am a horrible person, and that everything is my fault?"  
  
"Tensei..." He stood up and leaned over his desk, as if standing closer to her would make her believe the words that he knew to be true. "Tensei, how can you say any of this! You did what you did for reasons, you saved lives at the risk of your own! You say you're a horrible person? What can I do, to make you realize that you couldn'T be more wrong. You're a wonderful person Tensei."  
  
"Iie!" She cried out, shaking her head furiously and stepping away from him, as if he had burned her. "You don't know me Quartre! You don't know what I can be like, or what I can do." She slammed her fist against the wall and leaned against it heavily. "You don't know who I really am!"  
  
"THen who are you!" He moved away from his desk and stood several feet away from her, his eyes determined and betraying his sincerity. "Because all that I see before me is an innocent girl, who has seen far to much, and far to soon. All that I see before me is a wonderful person, Tensei."  
  
She looked away, as if having an inner battle and loosing. And said nothing.  
  
Suddenly, Quartre stepped closer to her, two arm lengths apart from her, from the battle of spirit verses mind. "Tensei, I'm going to ask you to trust me...." He held out a hand, realizing that he himself was trembling faintly. He clenched his fist a few times as if to try and will it to stop shaking, before merely giving up and holding it open. "Onegai...trust me."  
  
She stared at him, confusion shining from the depths of her eyes. "Quartre, there are things about me, that I can't even tell Musha, my dearest friend, my sister."  
  
"I'm not asking you to tell me secrets Tensei, nor am I even attempting to ask you to allow me to replace Musha, I would never dream of that. Sometimes though, a heart needs someone else that they can turn to, someone else they can trust. I'm not asking for you to fight for me, or to risk your life or your beliefs, all I'm asking is for you to allow me, to be your friend.  
  
No words came to Tensei's lips, no other sounds reached her ears, but despite all that, she found herself placing her hand within Quartre's.  
  
No words needed to be said.  
  
*******************  
  
"Attention members of the Unified Earth Sphere Nation!"  
  
All over the world, people stopped in their homes, in the streets, in the schools, as the image of a man suddenly appeared on vid-phones everywhere.  
  
"Few of you know me , but many of you have previously had know idea as to who I am, nor my identity. While, remember my name now, for Akki shall soon be the one to rule you all!"  
  
In preventer headquarters, Tensei ran with renewed strength towards her gundam. Casting a quick, reassuring smile to Quartre, who was watching from the ground.  
  
"I am hereby declaring war upon the Sanq Kingdom, and all those who follow it. Soon, the Sanq Kingdom shall fall, as well as all those that follow it!"  
  
Musha found herself at the dark training center that she had called her home for so many a year, searching for a way into the fortress that was dared called a building.  
  
"Anyone who dares to oppose us, shall fall!"  
  
Hundreds of Mobile Suits and Mobile dolls were suddenly discovered less than ten miles from the Sanq Kingdom itself, traveling at a slow yet steady pace towards their destination. The only thing that would be standing in their way was a single, blue and silver gundam.  
  
"So this is you're last warning, SURRENDER NOW OR BE DESTROYED!"  
  
******************  
  
"Master Quartre."  
  
Quartre didn't turn, or so much as stir, until he could no longer see the Gundam in the distance. "Hai Rashid?"  
  
The man held out a clipboard, upon it were five different blueprints. "They're finished. The designs are incredible, beyond even the custom models...."  
  
"Hai. Thank you Rashid." Quartre turned around and took the clipboard into his grasp, heading down towards the basement. "Oh, and Rashid. Do you think you could do me one more favour?"  
  
"What would that me, Master Quartre?"  
  
He smiled. "Get Wufei and the others and notify them of this, please. I think that all of us, have a reason to fight this time."  
  
*****************  
  
M-A-S-T-E-R-U  
  
"Invalid. Enter Password."  
  
W-A-R  
  
"Invalid. Enter Password."  
  
H-O-S-H-I A-N-D H-I-K-A-R-I  
  
"Invalid. Enter Password."  
  
L-E-T M-E I-N Y-O-U D-A-M-N M-A-C-H-I-N-E.  
  
"Invalid. Enter Password."  
  
Musha felt like screaming in frustration, or hurting something very very badly! The damn lock wouldn't accept any of her passwords!  
  
"Damn it all to hell." She murmured quietly, glaring at the lock as if that would cause it to open. "Who the hell decided to change the damn locks!" Cursing Master U in every language that she knew, she tried once more to enter the password.  
  
"Invalid. Enter Password."  
  
"I see....I suppose that this calls for a delicate touch then ne?" She had an odd glint in her eyes as she stepped back from the locked door.  
  
"Attention! Enter correct password of there will be consequences immediea- BLITZ!"  
  
Musha grinned as she resheethed her katana and watched as the door opened as the shattered lock fell to the ground. "I guess that was the right password."  
  
Without another word, she raced into the seemingly deserted building, just as the doors slammed shut again behind her.  
  
****************  
  
Tensei stared ahead of her, feeling as if she couldn't get enough air into her lungs, or as if the cockpit in which she now sat was suddenly shrinking, squeezing all of the oxygen out of the area.  
  
An nightmare, that was the only thing that could be used to describe the scene before her. Hundreds of Mobile suits could be seen marching over the horizon.  
  
And Tensei and her gundam were the only thing standing between them, and their destination of the Sanq Kingdom.  
  
"We can't die here Kaikou. We can't break our promise to Musha, or to anyone else."  
  
Funny things can happen, when one is facing death in the face. For Tensei could of sworn she heard her gundam agree.  
  
******************  
  
She ran throughout the darkened halls, her eyes slowly, to slowly, adjusting to the dark.  
  
'You would have thought that they all knew that I was coming, and all ran.' She thought quietly, as she stopped in the halls, finding herself lost.  
  
"This is ridiculous!" She snarled out, looking around. "There's no way I can find Master U here alone, I couldn'T even do that when I lived here!"  
  
Matte, a footstep.  
  
Focusing her eyes, Musha prayed for forgiveness someday in the future, as she took off at a sprint after the soldier she had just seen in the shadows.  
  
******************  
  
"Let the games begin!"  
  
Kaikou raised her beam saber and lunged into the battle, feeling the omega system begin to thrum at the back of her mind.  
  
"IIE!" She screamed as she deactivated a Mobile Suit, she couldn'T kill anyone! She refused to! "I can'T let the system control me! I can't afford to loose conscious in this battle! There's to much at stake!"  
  
Strike.  
  
Block.  
  
Lunge.  
  
Move, FASTER!  
  
Matte...TO LATE!  
  
A scream tore forth from Tensei's throat as the energy cannon struck her gundam, and she was slammed up against the back of the cockpit.  
  
"Attention Hikari!" The cruel voice floated through her cockpit as the vid- phone came to life. "You have one chance, and one chance only, to surrender!"  
  
Tensei raised her head slightly, looking at the vid-phone through her waterfall of hair.  
  
"Iie. I will never surrender. Surrender is betrayal, and I shall never betray my friends!"  
  
As she jumped up and dove into the heap of Mobile suits again, she could of sworn that those last few words were not her own.  
  
**********************  
  
The soldier stopped suddenly, and Musha almost ran into him.  
  
"BAKA NA!" She cried out, instinctively slipping into a fighting stance. "Why did you stop?"  
  
He regarded her calmly. "This is as far as we go."  
  
It took only a moment for the words to register upon her brain, and after uttering a silent apology to him, she slammed the young soldier hard up against the wall.  
  
"TELL ME!" She snarled out, her body trembling with adrenaline. "Tell me what I need to know and I swear I won't hurt you."  
  
He looked up, seemingly not at all frightened by the katana being pressed against his neck. "Iie."  
  
Musha shook her head, disbelieving. "You fool! Do you value power so much that you are willing to sacrifice your own life for it?"  
  
"It's not that."  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
His eyes darkened and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Nothing you can do to me Hoshi, can compare to the suffering I'd face at the hands of my benefactor."  
  
Her blood ran cold and her katana feel from her grasp, clanging loudly as it struck the steel beneath her feet. "You, can'T be serious! You're afraid to face something worse than death!"  
  
He nodded, but just underneath his calm exterior, you could see a glint of fear within his eyes, as if he had just realized something. "Hai, I'm afraid of that Hoshi, because right now, death is the easiest way for me."  
  
"Nani, what do you mea-" Musha's eyes widened as she realized to late just what he meant.  
  
"IIE!"  
  
The sound of the gun drowned out her cry.  
  
*******************  
  
Tensei grabbed the chain that her Gundam came equipped with, and whipped it around, taking off the feet off several of the Mobile Suits that surrounded her.  
  
Her breathing was coming in labored, for her mind was pressured with the struggle of concentrating on the battle, and keeping the Omega system from coming into effect.  
  
It would be so easy to give up, to just relax and surrender. It wouldn't hurt, right? The system would knock her out and she wouldn't feel.....  
  
She relaxed her grasp on the controls, and just sat there, bowing her head and shutting her eyes. She couldn't do this! She wasn't strong enough!  
  
'I'm asking for you to trust me Tensei, I'm asking for you to allow me to be your friend.'  
  
Tensei's eyes flickered open faintly. Where had that voice come from?!  
  
"Because we're going to promise each other right now that when we die… we die together."  
  
She raised her head now, her eyes beginning to widen. "M-Musha? Nani....."  
  
"You can't live off of 'what ifs' Tensei, if you do you'll forever be living in the past!"  
  
Her hands began to tighten on the controls again. "Sally."  
  
"I don't know what else to do...."  
  
Relena's voice! Wait, she'd never heard Relena say that!  
  
"Lay low until then. Give those girls a chance to let their guards down."  
  
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent cry. "M-Master U! Iie...IIE! IT CAN'T BE!"  
  
With new found strength, and fury, she lunged into the battlefield once again. All thoughts of just giving up having fled from her mind.  
  
"IIE!"  
  
****************  
  
"Oh Gods..." she clenched her eyes shut and looked away, struggling to will the images and the sounds out of her mind. But try as she might, the tortured cry echoed off the insides of her mind, and the pain that his eyes held in their last moments haunted her, the images and sounds growing with every passing moment. "Oh Gods....in cold blood. You, killed him in cold blood." Her knee's gave out from under her and she collapsed onto the cold steel floor. "He was so young, just a baby."  
  
In reality, the soldier had been older than even herself but, war aged all those who touched it far beyond anything that a untouched human could possibly comprehend.  
  
"I told you not to make attachments Musha."  
  
"Nani..." Her voice escaped from her throat in a breathless whisper. She recognized that voice but, there was no way!  
  
A dark chuckle reached her ears and her chin was roughly grabbed, her head being forced up although her eyes were shut. "To frightened to face reality Musha, just like you always were." There was a pause, in which she was shoved back roughly into a wall. "You wouldn't have survived a minute in the war without me! You're to afraid!"  
  
'Hai. 'She thought silently. 'I have been afraid, ever since that day so long ago, when my life changed. But....I'm not going to let myself be afraid anymore. Tensei was brave, and now I will be to.'  
  
Slowly, Musha Eien opened her eyes and was met with the reality she'd been running from since she was no more than a child.  
  
"Master U."  
  
********************  
  
"WE won't give up! Never!"  
  
We, who was she referring to. The Sanq Kingdom, the soldiers, her and Musha, her and her Kaikou?" She didn'T know, and she realized that it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she survive, and that she defend the kingdom before her, no matter how tired her spirit became, or how weary her soul.  
  
She couldn't stop fighting!  
  
But, even the strongest of humans have weaknesses.  
  
"I won't give up...." she whispered, as she felt her eyelids begin to droop, despite her mental battle cries.  
  
She suddenly felt herself thrown forward in the straps that held her in the cockpit, and gasped as she saw the ground rushing up to her, through the camera's of her Gundam.  
  
**************  
  
"It was all you?"  
  
Master U grinned wickedly, pacing around the room and swinging Musha's katana about carelessly. "Hai, an ingenious one if I do say so myself."  
  
Musha shook her head and bit down on her tongue. She couldn't afford to ignite his anger, there was no where for her to run, she was alone with Master U.  
  
And she couldn't die here, she wouldn'T die without Tensei.  
  
"What about Akki?"  
  
"A mere pawn." He answered simply, before leaning against the wall. "Although not my greatest player in this game."  
  
She didn'T move, although her her shoulders tensed just slightly. As if dreading the answer she knew she would receive. "Who were the greatest players Master U?"  
  
Taking her sword, he suddenly slammed it hard against a pipe in the concrete wall. It shattered into thousands of small pieces, weakened by the cold, and shimmered as they fell to the ground. "My greatest players you ask? Two soldiers who call themselves Hoshi and Hikari."  
  
"Iie..." she whispered, feeling her entire body begin to shake again. "I-it can't be true. You, used us?"  
  
He laughed again. "You don'T even know the whole of it, Samantha Ling." He grinned wickedly. "Over ten years ago, there was a rumor going around of two girls who possessed remarkable abilities with technology and martial arts."  
  
Musha clamped her hands over her ears tightly, as if that would prevent her from hearing the next words that he would say.  
  
"So." He began, growing more and more excited with each word that he spoke. "I ordered my soldiers to attack their homes, kill their families and take the two girls back with them. It was done swiftly and easily, the families didn't even put up a fight! If anything, they agreed to die, asking with their last breaths that I don'T harm their children. PATHETIC!"  
  
Musha felt herself beginning to trembling almost violently now, as the words seemed to whip around her, taunting her and calling out.  
  
He continued. "They were brought back to my headquarters, this very building in which you now lay Musha. I gave them a drug to induce Amtheisa, and they became the perfect warriors!"  
  
"Y-you did....all of this." Her voice came out barely above a whisper, shaking so much it was almost difficult to hear. "For what? That people would know you're name, and wouldn't consider you as insane as you truly are?!"  
  
"Hai demo, you see Musha, the story isn't over yet. The two Gundam's that I built, Kaikou and StarsFury, they are the final piece to the puzzle."  
  
"What....? What do you mean?! The Gundams are ours!"  
  
His statement slowly began to change, from merely wicked to a horrible, and hungry vicious. "Hai, exactly. Right now, Tensei Jianio is fighting against Akki, who is attacking in the Sanq Kingdom, and StarsFury is waiting less than a mile from here if I'm not mistaken. I have no desire to rule, I long for people to know my name, and how my warriors stopped the Sanq Kingdom from falling! You see, in exactly two hours, both Mobile Suits shall self destruct, taking with them their two pilots, as they sacrificed themselves to save the peace."  
  
"IIE!" She reacted before her brain allowed itself to register her actions. She reached down and grabbed the dead soldiers gun, clicking off the safety and pointing it directly at the man who dared to give himself a name in the same fluid motion. "I won't let to do this!"  
  
He laughed darkly and stepped closer, eyeing her. "You aren't strong enough Musha, and that's why I'm going to win. You should thank me, you along with you're dear sister Tensei, shall both die with honour."  
  
"Iie." Musha whispered harshly her eyes igniting with the rage and hatred in her heart. "Not Tensei....."  
  
"What are you going to do about it Musha? You couldn't even kill the other Gundam Pilots when you were under my control!" He tapped her head lightly and took a step back, laughing insanely now. "What makes you think that you will be able to kill anyone of your own free will!"  
  
'Because.' She thought dimly, her eyes growing cloudy. 'You were wrong Master U, ones attachments are what can influence the outcome of an entire war.'  
  
She fired the gun.  
  
****************  
  
Outside, a feather floated and landed in the muddy ground near StarsFury's feet. 


	13. You're the Reason

Author's Notes: PHEW! You people have NO idea how hard this chapter was to write… I mean… I suck at fighting scenes… Musha's the talented one. -_-  
  
ANYHOO… This is the last chapter before the epilogue! * gasp * Yes! That's right! The epilogue will be done by Musha and myself… and after that SEQUEL! Mwahahaha Okay, yes… I am weird.  
  
Kudos to Musha and Marika Webster for encouraging me to finish this thing. I mean… geez…. *glomps *  
  
Okie… this is yet another song fic… what can I say? I'm obsessed. This is my first hardcore songfic… it's a song called Disturbed by East West. VERY good. Now… Please R&R!!!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Woah…" Duo's indigo eyes lit up at the sight before him. Five familiar machines… no, friends. They had been destroyed long ago, for they had no more use for them, but now that there was a need for these Gundams, Duo couldn't have been happier to see his old buddy again.  
  
Wufei crossed his arms over his chest and stared ahead. "It's still not Nataku…"  
  
Quatre sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Wufei… but, this will have to do."  
  
Wufei simply nodded, knowing fully well that Quatre was right, but that stubborn part of him would never let go of Nataku, no, not ever.  
  
"Let's go then." Trowa took a step forward, "They're all pretty much the same as the old ones, so we won't have anything to adjust to, right?"  
  
Quatre shook his head. "The only difference is power and speed."  
  
"All right then." Hiiro nodded and ran up to his new Wing Zero, gently placing a hand on the side of the machine, "We have a mission to take care of. We must protect the Sanq kingdom!"  
  
'And protect Musha and Tensei…' Quatre added silently.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha stared in shock and disbelief at the sight before her. 'What… did I do?' A loud thud could be heard as she dropped the gun to the floor.  
  
Master U just glared at the girl as he cradled his bleeding arm. "I told you, Samantha."  
  
Her eyes went wide. 'Why does he call me Samantha?' She knew now that her name was, in fact, Samantha Ling, but she didn't expect him to call her by it. It only made her angrier. Maybe that was why he did it?  
  
"I told you…" he taunted her as his lips curled into a sly smirk. "You're too afraid to just kill me."  
  
Musha said nothing and just watched him. 'Why can't I kill him?!' her mind screamed over and over again, 'Damnit!!'  
  
"And I think I know why…" he resumed his pacing and shrugged his shoulders. "Could it be…" he said thoughtfully, "That you're not strong enough? No… no, that's not it at all. You've never had trouble killing the enemy before, have you, Samantha?" his eyes drifted to meet her own, and he smiled inwardly at the fear that he saw inside of them.  
  
He stopped suddenly, and stared right at her, his own eyes burning painfully into hers and she found that she couldn't escape his hypnotic gaze. "Or is it because…" he paused for a moment, drawing out her uncertainty for as long as possibly, seeming to revel in her confusion. "Because you can't bring yourself to kill your own father."  
  
That statement. That one statement. At that moment, Musha felt as if her very soul had been ripped from her body. "Father…" she whispered the word with a certain reverence, knowing that such a word did not belong to associate with a man such as this. True, he did raise her, but he was not her father, was he?  
  
"NO!!!" she immediately reached down and grabbed the gun back into her hands and pointed it at the man once more. "You're NOT my father! You never were!"  
  
"But you know," he started, "Deep down inside, that I was the only father that you've ever known. And because of that, you love me as a father, don't you?"  
  
"No!" she shouted defiantly, "I've NEVER loved you! You never gave me a reason to!"  
  
Master U shook his head and sighed. "Fine then. But none of that matters now. None of that changes the fact that you can't bring yourself to kill me." He watched her unlock the safety and hold it up towards him once more. "Would you really do it this time?"  
  
A few moments of silence passed, when Master U finally spoke up. "I knew it." With nothing more than a simple shrug, he turned to leave Musha to herself, alone in the basement of this forbidden place that she once called home.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lies birthed kill innocence.  
  
Child's smile turn upside-down.  
  
Silence bears the mark you see,  
  
Bring an end to what's to come.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Minor damage. That was all that Kaikou had sustained in her fall. Miraculously, the machine was barely scratched as it was lifted to its feet.  
  
Spin.  
  
Fire.  
  
Whip.  
  
Tensei panted heavily as she fought off the hundreds of soldiers that surrounded her. There were too many! This was impossible! Where was Musha when she needed her?  
  
Musha… Tensei cursed mentally when she remembered where Musha had gone. Again, she got that feeling… that horrible gut feeling that threatened to overwhelm and kill her. Something wasn't right, and she knew that Master U had something to do with it.  
  
In actuality, she knew exactly what Master U had had to do with all of this. She was good at figuring these kinds of things out, but why couldn't she bring herself to acknowledge this? Was it because… she was afraid?  
  
She was afraid too often. Her fear was her strongest enemy. Master U was the closest thing to a father that she and Musha had ever known. Though he never made himself to be, she had always considered him in such a way. But why? He had never been kind to them. Then again, she had no other father to even compare him to.  
  
They had grown up their entire lives stuck in that horrid base of his, never even having left the property beyond the gates. They never even knew that a world existed outside of their home until Master U mentioned something of their future missions in "the outside world", naturally striking the curiosity of the children.  
  
It wasn't until they started to ask never ending questions about this outside world that Master U had finally decided to educate them on it, deciding that it would, in fact, be useful for them to have some knowledge of this world that they would soon be infiltrating.  
  
He let them read books, newspapers, even allowed them to watch television for the soul purpose of "learning the culture of the outside world." The two girls were immediately fascinated by it, wanting more and more every day, but he still would not let them out.  
  
Tensei knew why now. He had always told them that a soldier's most deadly weakness is an attachment. Having never been outside of their prison, the girls had no attachments but each other.  
  
But now… things were different. She had a whole set of allies that had proved to be more than such. More like… friends? She couldn't quite explain it, as such relationships were foreign to her. But all she knew now was that she had something to fight for besides the requirement of an order spit out at her. She had something to motivate her!  
  
She reached up a hand and brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair out of her face. Her vision was blurring, and she knew that she had little time left. How had she made it this long in the first place? She didn't know, but that was of no consequence. Right now, she had to focus on her battle.  
  
Slam.  
  
Smash.  
  
Wait! That smash was her! She typed furiously at her keypad for a damage report. One of the joints of Kaikou's arms had been severed, rendering it, as well as her chain whip useless. With a silent curse, the girl hung her head. There was no way that she would survive this! A silent tear fell from her eye as she realized that she would have to break her promise to Musha. She would die here.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
You don't see what I can see,  
  
twisted pictures haunting me,  
  
Failure trails so close behind,  
  
you'll just wait till we meet again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Master U." Musha had finally located the old man, standing at the controls for the Gundams. He didn't even say anything, merely nodded to acknowledge her presence.  
  
She sighed and took a step forward keeping her spiteful rage on a tight leash. "Why?" was the only word that she could manage. She had already asked that question, and she had already gotten an answer, but something kept telling her to ask again, in hopes that maybe… just MAYBE, the answer would be different this time.  
  
"I told you…" Master U explained as he typed away, "I want to prove to everyone that I'm not worthless. I'm a genius who deserves recognition for all of my hard work, and my time has finally come."  
  
"But did you have to kill people in order to achieve that?!" She could hardly believe her ears. She knew that cruel people existed in the world, but she never knew just how cruel some could be.  
  
The old man sighed and turned around, an almost regretful expression on his face. "Samantha…" he shook his head, "I never wanted to kill anyone. Trust me on this, but sometimes… sacrifices have to be made."  
  
"Innocent lives!!" Musha cried, "You took innocent lives!"  
  
Master U nodded and turned back to the controls, not saying anything else. He grinned slightly as a new scene appeared on the screen. It was StarsFury, and it began to move.  
  
Musha's eyes widened when she heard the door slam behind her, and she turned her attention back to the screen. "What is it doing?!" she demanded.  
  
Master U took a step back, allowing Musha to examine the screen, knowing that nothing she could do now would ruin his plan. The orders had been given to StarsFury, and they were irreversible.  
  
"I told you earlier that StarsFury and Kaikou would self-detonate, did I not?" His grin grew wider as Musha gasped in shock. "No! Onegai! You can't!"  
  
Master U just laughed. "I'm afraid that you won't get to be there to celebrate the end of the war, but no matter…" a click was heard and Musha found herself facing down the barrel of his gun, "I'll do away with you… after you witness the death of your dear sister."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
You, You're the reason.  
  
You're the one that's stealing my freedom.  
  
You, You're the reason.  
  
You're the one that's stealing my freedom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
So weak… so tired… She couldn't go on any longer… Tensei forced her eyes open as she watched the troops of suits walking towards her from the horizon. This was it. It was all over.  
  
A sudden explosion in the distance sent her head instinctively snapping up. 'What was that?!' She squinted her eyes and focused on the back of the line of mobile suits, until she could finally make out five distinct shapes. They were only slightly bigger than the other suits, and they were… fighting the troops?!  
  
She watched as one of the new suits destroyed another one of the enemies. "It's…" her soul was filled with relief in sudden realization. She didn't consciously know who piloted the strange new suits, but in her soul, she suddenly knew that everything was all right.  
  
That was when her body involuntarily slumped forward, and her eyes closed, surrendering to the Omega system for the last time, not even taking notice of the loud beeping sound in the cockpit.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Anger scars another back,  
  
Child quiet to mask the pain,  
  
Running from a scary man,  
  
Bring an end to what's to come.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo squinted his eyes when a blinding light flooded his view screen. "One more down…" he looked off into the distance and sighed, "hundreds to go. Sure… no problem at all." He said sarcastically as he lunged for another mobile suit.  
  
He grinned as the suit was destroyed and spun his new Deathscythe around once. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" He stopped when he noticed Akki's suit attacking the unmoving Kaikou. "Something's not right…" he said aloud to himself as he maneuvered over to the one-sided battle.  
  
With a quick motion, he sent his scythe crashing down on top of Akki's suit. He opened communications and narrowed his eyes when the said man's face appeared on the screen. "It's not polite to hit a girl, you know."  
  
Akki just scowled. "My job is to destroy the enemy." He smirked only slightly, before lunging at Deathscythe.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wufei's eyes remained fixed on his enemy as he attacked with vigor. Inside his soul resided a vengeance that was just waiting to break free.  
  
He had seen it in her eyes. Her hurt… her pain… He would not forgive those who hurt the innocent. They were unjust.  
  
He had watched a drama unfold in front of him. The story of two girls who's lives had been stolen, and humanity had been destroyed. They were both empty vessels, living for nothing but battle – like he once had. He would not stand to see any others forced to experience what he already had…  
  
Especially not her… Damnit… he loved her, and nothing he could do could change his mind. He had tried to run from it, but there was no use. He couldn't help but feel sad when she cried, and hurt when she felt pain.  
  
He blamed himself for letting her go alone to face Master U. He hadn't heard back from her yet. It's been too long. He stopped for a moment and reached behind him, pulling out the black elastic that held his hair in place and from it, untwined from it a small gold chain, attached to a star shaped charm.  
  
He examined it for a moment before clutching it tight in his grasp. She promised him that she'd return, so he would do whatever he could to ensure that she would return to a safe home.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
You don't see what I can see,  
  
Twisted pictures haunting me,  
  
Failure trails so close behind,  
  
You'll just wait till we meet again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"MUSHA!!!" Quatre's eyes went wide as a wave of absolute terror assaulted his soul. He heard her… crying out, begging, pleading!  
  
Clutching his hand over his heart, he breathed hard a few times before finally regaining his composure. "No…" he whispered in denial, "He can't…"  
  
Quatre looked over to the battle between Akki and Duo, then to the unmoving Kaikou. What could have been wrong? He searched his brain for a solution as he fought off enemy suits, before the realization finally struck him. The Omega System! Tensei was unconscious…  
  
The next thing that his space heart told him sent his eyes wide with fear. "NO!"  
  
He immediately opened communication with his fellow comrades. "Everyone listen to me! We don't have much time!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You can't do this…" the words were spoken as a harsh and defiant whisper. Violet eyes flamed with determination, yet still unable to hide the fear that resided behind them. He couldn't kill Tensei… not like this!  
  
"I have no choice… this has been my intention all along, Samantha." His voice could only be described with one word: Evil.  
  
Musha had been afraid many times before in her life, but never so much as now. For the first time, Musha felt as if everything was all over, and she should give up hope.  
  
That was when she remembered the little girl from her dream. Samantha Ling… the real Samantha Ling. That day that her family was killed, she was too, and Musha Eien rose from the ashes.  
  
Samantha Ling was dead, and she would avenge her death. But her first order of business was to stop another innocent from dying. She narrowed her eyes and the man before her, not even noticing anymore the loaded gun that was pointed directly at her. "I won't let you kill her."  
  
"It's too late for that." Master U smirked as the screen behind him displayed a great explosion. Kaikou and StarsFury both blew up, taking with them the surrounding mobile suits.  
  
At that moment, the entire world stopped. He just… No! He didn't! He couldn't have! There was no way! NO WAY!  
  
Just as quickly as Musha's world exploded – literally before her very eyes, Master U turned his attention back to her. "Sarabada." And he pulled the trigger.  
  
It's been said that in desperate times, one can possess super human strength. Well, for Musha, this was one of those times. She still had so much to do… she had two deaths to avenge – and a promise that was forced broken.  
  
In a motion that rivaled the speed of light, Musha's leg went flying up, her foot connecting directly with the gun that had been fired, turning it, and sending the deadly bit of metal directly into her enemy's head.  
  
Just like that…  
  
One shot… and it was all over…  
  
Musha blinked in disbelief as she stared down at the dead body of Master U… her teacher, her mentor, her father. No! Not her father! He was evil! He killed her… he killed Tensei!  
  
Tensei…  
  
Musha collapsed to her knees and let out a wail of pure anguish.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
You, You're the reason.  
  
You're the one that's stealing my freedom.  
  
You, You're the reason.  
  
You're the one that's stealing my freedom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Quatre narrowed his eyes in concern as he looked down at his watch as he crouched down beside a tree. Trowa was both strong, and fast, which is why he chose him for this task… but… it had been twenty minutes now. He was getting worried…  
  
"Damn…" Duo's voice interrupted the silence. "I can't believe that they're gone already…"  
  
Hiiro raised an eyebrow at him curiously.  
  
"The Gundams…" he clarified, "I mean… not that I like to fight or anything, but… I still miss him…"  
  
"Baka…" Wufei muttered under his breath.  
  
A rustling behind them prevented the potential argument and everyone turned to see Trowa… finally. In his arms, he carried the limp form of Tensei.  
  
Quatre sighed in relief, seeing now that Tensei was all right, and knowing in his soul that Musha was alive as well. Everything would be all right now. If it weren't for Musha's frantic cry… and the premonition that he had gotten from his space heart… they all would be dead now…  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha had never known the feeling of true loneliness. For as long as she remembered, she had Tensei. Now, she felt as if a part of her had been ripped away… and she was all alone.  
  
She never expected it to end this way… Well, to tell the truth… she hadn't even expected that it would end at all. She had never lived a day without seeing pain… She had always wondered what it would be like… to have one day… just one day without pain.  
  
Impossible. That would never happen. Not now… not now that Tensei was gone. She wanted peace more than anything… but she wanted to share it with Tensei. Her best friend. Her sister.  
  
So many emotions were overwhelming her soul. Grief, fear, uncertainty, anger… She felt as if she would explode. She had never felt so… awful.  
  
With a sudden cry of rage, Musha took to her feet and fled from that building where her life had both begun and ended. She would never set her eyes upon it again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Damn…" Duo shook his head disapprovingly as he peered out the window of the hospital room. "It's insane out there. What do you want to do about the media?"  
  
Relena sighed and shook her head. "I don't know quite yet… Just leave them… they'll live."  
  
The braided man just nodded and turned around, leaning against the wall in the crowded room.  
  
"How is she?" Quatre looked up to Sally.  
  
Sally shook her head. "Hard to tell… but I think that she'll be fine. She'll be very weak for a few weeks… She survived the Omega System for twenty-six minutes, I don't know how."  
  
"Some people don't give up…" Wufei added from his spot in the corner of the room, "and these two girls don't even know how to give up…"  
  
"Any word from Musha?" Trowa asked curiously. Wufei just shook his head. "Don't worry, Chang. She'll come back… She wouldn't have died so easily."  
  
"I'm going to meditate." Wufei announced, walking towards the door. "I don't know when I'll return."  
  
The others just nodded as he left the room, dodging reporters and running as quickly as he could back to that little field from so long ago…  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Punch.  
  
Kick.  
  
Swing.  
  
Breathe.  
  
Punch.  
  
Kick.  
  
Swing.  
  
Breathe.  
  
This order. This was the only order left in her life. Punch, kick, swing breathe. Her life had been brought down to this, and only this. Nothing mattered but her sequence of mock attacks.  
  
Musha was furiously fighting against the air, or was it more than that? She wasn't just fighting the air. She was fighting demons. Demons of defeat, of pain, of anguish, and of past memories. With every punch, she killed a demon of pain. With every kick, she killed a demon of anguish. With every swing of her arm, she killed a demon of the past… and the future.  
  
She hated her future now! A future without her sister… she couldn't face it.  
  
Punch.  
  
Kick.  
  
Swing.  
  
Breathe.  
  
Punch.  
  
Kick.  
  
Swing.  
  
Breathe.  
  
Punch.  
  
Kick.  
  
She gasped as a pair of hands came down on her shoulders, firmly holding her in place. Under normal circumstances, the intruder would already be crumpled on the ground in pain, but she felt a different presence behind her… a presence that brought rest to her mind and peace to her soul. She opened her mouth to speak, but it only came out as a whisper. "Wufei…"  
  
He spun her around to face him and looked directly into her eyes. "Musha… where have you been?"  
  
"My name is not Musha…" she said softly. "I have no name…Musha died when Tensei did."  
  
Wufei couldn't prevent his lips from curling into a small smile. "Baka onna…" he managed. "You know nothing, do you not?"  
  
Musha shook her head in disbelief. What was he talking about?! How dare he insult her at a time like this?!  
  
He took her silence as permission to go on. Leaning down close to her, he smiled at her and whispered. "Tensei is alive…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Refresh me  
  
Renew me  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Musha sighed as she stared down at the seemingly interesting pattern of the tabletop. It had been three weeks until the war ended, and things were finally peaceful.  
  
She gently drummed her fingertips over the smooth surface, oblivious to the presence right beside her, until he spoke.  
  
"Are you all right?" Duo asked quietly, spinning a chair around and straddling it, looking at Musha with curious eyes.  
  
Musha just sighed. "I don't know... that's just it."  
  
Duo nodded. "It's not what you expected it to be, is it?"  
  
Musha shook her head. "I don't know... I guess that... well... I guess that I had always expected the end of this war to be more..."  
  
"Joyful?" Duo piped in, rocking back slightly.  
  
"Hai... For the entire Earth Sphere Nation... but also, for myself. I really thought that when this was all over, my pain would be too..." She blinked, seeming to contemplate once more why on earth she didn't feel different.  
  
Duo hummed to himself and folded his arms on the back of the chair, resting his chin on them. "It's too late though..." he shrugged slightly, "Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity. Once you've engaged in battle, you can never erase it from your mind. You have to live with it forever. The world may have peace, but the battle will replay itself continually in your memories... and that," he said as he stood up, "Is one of the many sacrifices that we soldiers have to make. We trade our peace for theirs, but you know what?"  
  
Musha looked up at Duo with a certain hope in her eyes, as if he could offer her some kind of comfort.  
  
That was when Duo's famous grin spread across his face and he winked, "It's all worth it..."  
  
Musha smiled at her companion. "Hai… it is."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tensei sighed as she stared out the window of the bedroom that she had been confined too. She wasn't the kind to accept such treatment easily, but she had six Gundam pilots against her… she would have to do as they say and rest. Only for a few more days, anyway.  
  
She was grateful for this time though. She needed some time to herself… to think. She wasn't sure of what she thought of the end of the war. She was happy, but still… There was something… She shook her head. She wouldn't worry herself about it now. It was time to heal… Physically, but she feared that an emotional healing was far from possible.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Refresh me  
  
Renew me  
  
~*~*~*~*~ 


	14. The Dream Lives On

Author's Notes:  Finally!!  It's finished!!  * evil laughter* PLEASE r&r…. we've worked SO hard on this!  * sniffles*  

Okilee dokilee… the first part of this was written by the amazing, incredible, talented Musha…. And the last part was written by me.  ^^****   Oh, also…  ^^***  Because Tensei is a baka, she added a song to this.  What can I say?  I'm obsessed with songfics no.  ^^****  This song is Can't Fight the Moonlight by Leanne Rimes.  Okie!!  Enjoy!

The rays of the sun danced on the horizon, casting beautiful gold's, reds, and greens across the landscape. If you looked up, you could see just the faintest hints of stars in the inky blackness of space.  
Musha sighed happily and lay back on the roof, just staring up above her, as if she could spread her wings there and take off, flying up to meet and dance with the very stars themselves.  
"It's all over....not what I expected but, at least it's over." She turned her head and her eyes fixed with the bag which she had dragged onto the roof with her, within it held the few possessions and clothes that held meaning to her.   
All that she had decided to bring with her into her new beginning.  
Slowly, she sat up and stared straight ahead, a small breeze tugging gently at her hair, causing it to flutter around her form. "Still..." she murmured. "It doesn't feel as if it's over."  
Her eyes drifted shut and she bowed her head, as she lost herself within memories. The peace treaty, when Tensei had literally fallen on top of Quartre, the mission, where Trowa had held both Musha and Tensei at gunpoint upon seeing them for the first time, the battles, the betrayals, the pain and the joys. So much had happened, could it really all be over. Just like that?  
"And that's why we're leaving, to find a way to convince myself, that the war and the battles, are all over." Swiftly, she stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder, before pausing. "I wonder if Tensei is really ready to go yet, I mean, she was exhausted by the Omega System....." She blinked, and had to bite her lips to stop herself from laughing. This was so absurd! Here she was, all ready to go and have a new beginning, away from the plagues and pains of war, and she was hesitating!  
'_Demo, you know why.'_ She thought quietly, her statement softening into a tender smile. '_You don't want to leave hi....them, none of the 'attachments' that you've made during you're time here.'  
_She refused to acknowledge the word that screamed to fall from her lips, or rather, the person that she didn't want to leave.  
"Baka na..." She muttered, scolding herself. "This is just why you didn't tell any of them that you were leaving, so you wouldn't hesitate....just like you am now." Rolling her eyes, she blew at some hair that had fallen into her face, before beginning to walk to the ladder that lead off of the roof.  
A faint jingling reached her ears and she blinked in confusion. "Nani.....is my bag open?"  
"The question should be,why do you have a bag in the first place onna." A hand was gently placed on her shoulder. "You're planning on going somewhere." It wasn't a question, but a statement.  
"What do you know Wufei..." She shut her eyes and smiled faintly, she wasn't surprised at all, after all, somewhere deep within her soul, she'd known that he would come, hadn't she. "You've developed a talent for stating the obvious ne?"  
He turned her around, and looked at her directly in the eyes. Violet meeting with black for what must have been the millionth time, and was no where near the last.   
"I know what you're going to say!" She interrupted him before he could actually say anything at all. " That I should have told all of you that I was planning on leaving, and that I'm being weak and cowardly for doing this, demo, it's the easiest way. I mean, Tensei and I can't stay here, not after all the trouble we've caused. It would be too awkward." She stopped and clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the explosion that was sure to follow.  
Silence lingered for a few moments, until his voice, uncharacteristically soft, broke the silence. "Here Musha..." he murmured quietly, holding out his hand.  
"Nani?" She opened one eye, confused as to why he wasn't ranting on about justice and honor, then again, this wasn't the first time in the last few days that he had surprised her.   
However, when she realized just what he was holding, it brought a silent gasp to her lips.  
In Wufei's hand, was a gold chain attached to a star shaped pendent.  
"M-my necklace..." With trembling hands, she reached out and gently grasped the chain within her fingers, before smiling faintly. "My father gave this to me you know, on Samantha's birthday, just before he died." Her eyes were distant, almost as if she was seeing the events she spoke of as the words fell from her lips.   
If you wanted a logical reason, that could be why Wufei knew, that she had finally found peace within herself, and that the constant searching for answers had been satisfied within her heart.   
"Why then?"  
Her head shot up, confusion reflecting upon her statement. "Nani?" She was saying that a lot tonight, wasn't she? "Why what?"  
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels, shutting his own eyes. "Why are you leaving?"  
She looked away from him, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I already answered that Wufei, it would be to awkwa-"  
"Awkward? That's what you believe Musha?" He opened his eyes again, and the intense fire that Musha saw in them made her take a step back in surprise. "That it would be too 'awkward' for you to remain here with your friends, and your attachments? If you ask me, it sounds as if you are still listening to Master U's words, that attachments are weaknesses."  
Heat rose to her cheeks and made her face flush. "That's not true! Don't you dare suggest such a thing baka!!"  
"Then what is true? Why are you really leaving, Musha?"  
"Why do you care so much anyway! I know what I want, and what's best for me!"  
He regarded her calmly, saying nothing. He'd known she would react this way. He still wasn't sure how, but he'd known. Just as he'd known that she would be on roof tonight, and how he'd known that she intended to leave everyone, without saying so much as a word. He'd known that she would be on reacting this way, demo he knew that he couldn'T fight it anymore. He'd tried to push her away, to force her out of his life  
Gods though, he couldn't let her leave. The mere thought of that, struck so much fear into his heart that, it left him breathless and gasping for air. He was so weak for trying to force her face out of his mind whenever it appeared, but, he realized now that that was impossible. That pushing her away, would be like ridding him of a part of himself. "You already know the answer to that." His voice was still calm, still soft, but there was just the faintest hint of fear and desperation to it now.  
She paused for only a moment, before turning and running towards the ladder, and off of the roof.  
***************

Under a lovers' sky 

Gonna be with you 

And no one's gonna be around 

If you think that you won't fall 

Well just wait until 

'Till the sun goes down

****************

  
Hiiro glanced up at the clock. Damnit! Why did it feel as if time had stopped! He could have sworn that the second hand was moving backwards!  
This was insane, he'd never felt fear, or nervousness like this before, during the war. Not when he had come to the earth in operation meteor, not when he had literally pushed the self detonate device on Gundam Wing, not when he had used the Zero system for the first time, and not when he had destroyed Libra before it had struck the earth.  
And yet, here he was, almost wishing he had a self detonate device to use now!  
"Hiiro?"   
He nearly jumped, but managed to control himself as the soft voice snapped himself out of his inner debate and demons. He turned his head and was met with the smiling gaze of Relena. He smiled faintly and nodded in greeting.  
Her statement turned to one of confusion. "Hiiro? Are you all right? You look, tense. Is something wrong?"  
"Iie, nothings wrong." He offered her his hand, almost smiling as he saw the surprise in her own eyes. "Lets go for a walk, Relena."  
As she took his hand, and he began to lead her outside, he was almost able to forget about the small box, buried within his coat pocket.  
**************

Underneath the starlight - starlight 

There's a magical feeling - so right 

It'll steal your heart tonight

**************

  
Musha ran her fingers through her slightly tangled hair, as she sat down on the bed in the motel room she'd rented for the night.   
Why had she run! Was she so cowardly and fearful, was she so afraid, that she would voluntarily run from the person that her heart was crying out for.  
Then again, he hadn't chased after her, had he.  
"Oi..." she muttered quietly, before allowing herself to fall backwards onto the cheap bed. "I'm beginning to think that fighting in a war, is easier than trying to deal with all of these emotions."  
  
**************  
Kashoku glanced down at her watch again. He was late, again. Demo, that was nothing new. It was almost comical really, that the famous Gundam pilot 03, was late for a simple little date.  
"Well, I guess it's to be expected, when you look at it in the right sense." She grinned. "He can face death in the face, and almost single handily turn the the tide of a war, but he can't handle emotions." Pausing, she looked up in time to see a familiar head of brown hair making it's way towards her. "Not yet anyway...."   
Without so much as another word, she began to run forward. Throwing her hand into the air and waving as she approached Trowa.  
******************  
"Okay, so why." She didn't move from her position in front of the mirror, her eyes flickering with confusion. "Why did I run, simple question ne? Why...did...I .... run."  
The answer came to her, before she had even fully finished asking the question itself. She was afraid. Afraid of getting an attachment, and then being hurt if it was torn away. She was afraid of trusting someone else, as much as she trusted her own instincts.  
"Who would have thought, that you'd would be right all along Wufei. I am afraid."  
Bowing her head, she sighed softly. Did it matter now, she'd ran, she'd made her choice. "Better tell Tensei-chan...."  
Slowly, she got up and picked up the phone, dialing the number to her apartment.  
************  
Tensei wiped some sweat off of her brow, before tearing her eyes away from the computer screen. It was the only retreat for her now, to escape and to loose herself in her work. She had convinced Sally to let her do this, saying that it wouldn't exert her and that it was only to make sure that Master U had no more followers.  
Ring....  
"ACKS!" She jumped a mile high as the ring shattered the silence around her, breaking the strange barrier she had almost build up around herself.  
Ring...  
"Okay okay. I'm coming...." She picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
"Tensei-chan? "  
Her eyes widened as her sisters statement appeared on the vidphone. "Musha! Where are you!"  
"Ano, motel six?"  
"Nani?"  
"It's nothing. Demo, I'll meet you at the apartment tomorrow all right? It's just, easier."  
"Why? Musha onegai answer..." She trailed off, her eyes catching a flicker of light behind Musha's form on the vidphone. "....I'll see you at the Sanq Kingdom palace tomorrow, Musha."  
Musha blinked in confusion. "Why there?"  
"It's just easier that way." She smiled faintly, knowledge and understanding covering her features, in that mysterious way that it always did. "Onegai?"  
She sighed in defeat. "Fine...and Tensei? By any chance, did Wufei, come by?"  
"Ano, nope."  
She sighed again. "All right. See you tomorrow, Tensei-chan" The vidphone cut out.  
Tensei gently placed the phone back on it's cradle, a few stray tears falling down her face. "Be happy Musha-chan, you deserve it."  
*****************

It's funny the way that life works.  
It had only been several weeks ago, that he would have been thankful for her to leave his life, and take with her all the confusing emotions and feelings that he had long since suppressed within the deep recesses of his mind.  
But, war effects one's mind in strange ways, it ages people beyond what their appearances suggest, and teaches them things that could take others many a life time to achieve.  
And it had taught him, both when he had lost Meiran, and when he had almost lost another that had come dangerously close to his heart, that he couldn't put things off.   
Because you never know what the next instant can bring. Life is a risky battle, and every moment can be a treat to ones life.  
Wufei didn't move from his position on the motorcycle though. He just sat there, feeling a few drops of water fall down from the heavens and splatter on his skin, and on the ground around him.  
From where he sat, he could see Musha through the window, and had made sure that she couldn't see him. He'd seen her hang on the vidphone, seen the uncertainty in her eyes , before sitting down in a chair and resting her head against the arm rest.  
He didn't need to see her though, to know what she was feeling. He could feel it himself, as if her grief and fears were his own.   
When had his life become so confusing? When he'd been married to Meiran, he had been totally absorbed within his studies, not noticing or caring about the war, or the world outside of his own. He was content that way. Then, Meiran had died, and he felt it was his place to avenge her, and rid the world of all evil, thus, his life had changed again. He'd understood that, and he'd learned to accept that, such was the fate of a warrior. He'd never expected though, for his greatest battle to occur outside of war.  
A boom of thunder above his head startled him out of his inner turmoil, and he shook his head, as if to clear it and bring that the reason he'd been called the Solitary Dragon for so many years. What the hell was he doing, following her like this! Great, he was becoming a stalker, great.  
His eyes flickered up again and found the now sleeping form of Musha, her spirit having retreated into a peaceful sleep on the chair she had sat down only moments before.  
The corner of his mouth tugged in a faint smile. She looked so peaceful as she slept, you would never guess how foolish or reckless she was while awake.  
He looked away from her and turned on the engine again, it was all he could do to stop himself from going into the motel and finding some way, to prevent her from leaving.  
Without so much as another word, Wufei Chang drove off into the night.

****************

You can try to resist 

Try to hide from my kiss 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
****************  
Musha's eyes flickered over the room at Preventer Headquarters, before she deemed it safe for her to walk in.   
_'You're avoiding him now!?' _she questioned herself. '_So much for being that fearless warrior that you're always claiming to be.'  
_She paused by the window, her gaze wandering down to the garden, where Hiiro was walking arm in arm with Relena.  
A faint smile graced her lips. They looked so happy now, and they deserved it. After all the grief and pain they had endured during the war, they deserved a little happiness now.  
Sighing, she turned and leaned against the wall. "Tensei! Where are you!? You said you'd be here at eleven..and it's eleven thirty now."   
Suddenly, her eyes shot open and her body tensed. She wasn't alone.  
"You enjoy sneaking up on me, don't you?"  
Wufei stepped out of the shadows where he had been hiding, before moving and leaning against the wall next to Musha. "It's the only way to get you to listen, ne Musha?"  
She opened her mouth to retort, before stopping, blinking in surprise. "You've stopped."  
He turned to look at her. "Nani?"  
"I just noticed now, you've stopped calling me 'onna'."  
Shrugging, he turned away from her again. "You didn't die. You've survived real conflict, you're deserving of a name." He shut his, refusing to say what his spirit was crying out at him to say. He couldn'T, that might only drive her further away. And, given the current situation, he couldn't do that, he, just couldn't.  
"Oh. Well, I think I can hear Tensei coming now Wufei." She bent down and picked up her bag, that cursed bag, that had been discarded at her feet. "It was nice working with you...maybe, I'll see you again one day ne?" She turned to go.  
**(the next part was written by the incredibly talented Tensei-chan!!! On account I was beginning to run out of ideas! She's to cool!)**  
"Matte." Wufei turned her around, and gently placed both hands on her shoulders, almost holding on to her with a death grip. "You don't understand... I need you here."   
Musha just sighed, both in frustration and exhaustion. She couldn't bring herself to explain to him what she felt... maybe because she didn't even know, herself? All she could do was the best that she could at fabricating some kind of explanation. "Wufei, I..."  
She was cut off immediately when a pair of soft lips came down on hers. Wufei kissed her - again.  
They say that a kiss if the ultimate display of affection. Words are limited in the passion that they can express... but a kiss will burn into someone's mind for all of eternity. This kiss was different that all other kisses. From it, he poured out al of his love, passion, and desperation. Out of pure selfishness, he would make her understand just how much he loved her. It lasted for only a moment, but for an eternity at the same time. Musha looked at him with unblinking eyes, her ragged breath was the only thing that could be heard. "Why?" she finally broke the silence.  
"Because..." he gathered her into his arms and held her close, as if to emphasize his next statement, "I love you. I've told you before, but not only do I love you, but I cannot stand to be without you. "Musha nodded. "Arigato, Wufei..." She couldn't put to words what she felt at that moment. Happy? Dreadful? A lot at once, but she knew one thing: There was a reason for her to stay. She sighed and looked sadly up at him. "I feel very close to you, Wufei, and I will stay, but for now... I don't think that I'm ready for something as strong as love. I need some time... I'm still trying to sort things out."

Wufei nodded.  "Hai… It's all right… I understand…"  
(**me again!)**  
*******************  
Tensei smiled softly, as she watched her friend from her position behind the door.   
Of course she had expected for this to happen. Even if Wufei hadn't gotten the courage, there was no way that she was going to let her friend leave the Sanq Kingdom. Iie, not when she had so many wonderful things that were going to happen to her.  
She pulled away from the door, and stepped back, before retreating down the halls in the base and away from Wufei and Musha.  
"Be happy Musha, you deserve it, all of it." She laughed softly, but the laughter didn't reach her sorrow filled eyes, and she realized that.  
Tensei honestly doubted that happiness would ever grace her features again, it didn't have a place upon her soul, or her life.  
She stopped by the hanger bay, where up until a few days ago, Kaikou had waited for her.  
"Maybe it's my time..." she murmured quietly. "Kaikou tried to show me things, in the last few minutes of her existence. Maybe it's time....I find out what they meant. And what, my life means."

***************

Deep in the dark 

You'll surrender your heart 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

No, you can't fight it 

It's gonna get to your heart

~*~*~*~*~

Graceful.  Calm.  Regal.  These were just a few of the attributes that Relena was expected to apply to her appearance, especially at social events such as this.  But today… she didn't care.  Nothing mattered as she gently lifted one arm from Hiiro's shoulder to glance at the ring just one more time, to reassure herself that it was, in fact, not a dream.

Hiiro couldn't help but grin slightly.  "That's the fifteenth time tonight."  That was all he said as he held her in his arms and continued the waltz that he was somehow surviving – clumsily.  Pilot a Gundam, jump out of a building, save the world… no problem, but manage to make it through a simple waltz without crushing the small feet that skipped so closely to his own?  Absolutely not.

Relena just frowned in mock disappointment.  "You counted?"

Hiiro smiled.  "I watch everything that you do."  He couldn't prevent the heat that he felt in his cheeks.  Damn… he never should have let Duo give him any pointers for this dating stuff… it was too weird.  

Relena just laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm.  "Right… well, tell Duo that I said hi."

'Damn!' Hiiro mentally cursed, his fists clenching only slightly, which did not go unnoticed by Relena.

"Mission failed?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow.  Hiiro looked at her curiously for a moment before yet another smile broke out on her face.  "Hiiro… The missions are over, okay?  No more orders, protocols… Just you, okay?"

Hiiro smiled down at her and reached a hand up to twirl a strand of her silky hair between his fingers.  "Hai… only me…"

~*~*~*~*~

There's no escape from love 

Was a gentle breeze 

Weaves its spell upon your heart 

No matter what you think 

It won't be too long 

'Till you're in my arms

~*~*~*~*~

Duo beamed with absolute joy as he made his way across the dance floor with Hilde.  He had never been so proud in his life!  Sure, he had accomplished a lot in his day, but nothing, absolutely nothing could put a dent in the ego, which had grown enormously huge since the perfection of this fine art.

His eyes scanned the room as his feet took on a will of their own, and he was thankful that this life had taken lessons in ballroom dancing.  

"Well what do you know?" he voiced quietly to Hilde, "Wu-man's got a date!"

Hilde's eyes went wide and she suddenly took the lead, spinning his around so that she could get a better view.  "What?  Where?!"  That was all it took for Duo's feet to somehow overlap each other in a very ungraceful manner, causing the couple to plummet to the floor below.

With a defeated whine, Duo picked himself up off the floor and gently helped the woman into his arms as well.  "Oh well," he sighed, "It was great while it lasted."  He paused to look over to Wufei once more, smiling at the sight of the girl in his arms.  "They do make a nice couple…"

Hilde shrugged.  "They do… too bad they're not doing anything about it."

Duo blinked.  "Huh?  What do you mean?"

Hilde sighed, as if she were a schoolgirl, telling about a romantic fairy tale.  "She told him that she's not ready for love, but they did take the first step.  Friendship."

Duo reached up and scratched his head.  "I don't get it… how do you know this kind of stuff?"

Hilde laughed.  "It's called the grapevine."  

Duo sighed.  "Another one of those cool girl things that I'm never gonna get to be a part of, huh?"  Hilde just nodded.  The braided man sighed in defeat and scanned the room once more.  Well, let's see that everyone's up to.  Uh huh… Hiiro and Relena… that dog!  They're engaged already!  Hmm… let's see… Hey!  There's Trowa and that new girl!  They seem to be getting along well… I'll tell ya, I never thought I'd see the day when Trowa actually showed some kind of emotion… no matter how scarce.  

"Now…" there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, which usually meant trouble.  "Where's Quatre?" he laughed to himself and grinned, "Maybe he and Tensei are having some "fun" in the backroom." He was immediately cut off by the painful feeling of sharp fingernails embedding themselves deep into the flesh of his arms.  "Itai itai!  I'm sorry!!!  Geez…"

Hilde mock glared.  "Baka!"

Duo just sighed and shook his head.  "All right!  All right!  Hmm… Aha!  There he is!"  Sure enough, there stood Quatre, alone at one side of the room.  It only took Duo one moment to notice Tensei on the other side of the room, staring down strangely at a glass of champagne. "Well…" he said, rolling his shoulders, "Excuse me, my dear.  I have some small bit of business to attend to.  I shall return."

Hilde raised an eyebrow.  "Duo…"

"Don't worry, milady!" he took her hand and chastely kissed the back of it.  "Your knight in shining armor shall return."

~*~*~*~*~

Underneath the starlight - starlight 

We'll be lost in the rhythm - so right 

Feel it steal your heart tonight

~*~*~*~*~

They say that silence is golden, but truthfully, it can be downright awkward at times.  But despite that… there are times when silence is not just golden, but necessary.  When the present thoughts and feelings cannot be put to words.  This was one of those times.

Wufei smiled down at the sight before him.  In all truthfulness, he had never seen Musha in a dress before, and little did he know, that he wasn't the only one.  She did look enchanting though.  The fabric was a deep gold, with violet rose pattern trimming that offset her eyes perfectly.  Her hair, for the first time ever, was free from the usual elastic that held it in place, leaving it to flow down her back in a waterfall of golden curls.  

Tonight… Chang Wufei was happy.  "Arigato…"

Musha blinked out of her slightly dazed state and looked up at him.  "For what?"  There was a pause, and Musha nodded.  No other words needed be said.

~*~*~*~*~

You can try to resist 

Try to hide from my kiss 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

Deep in the dark 

You'll surrender your heart 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

No you can't fight it 

No matter what you do 

The night is gonna get to you

~*~*~*~*~

Tensei sighed as she swished the clear drink around in her glass.  Deep in concentration, she didn't even notice the person standing behind her until he taped her on the shoulder.  With a start, she spun around to meet the famous grin of Duo Maxwell.  She relaxed a bit, and smiled timidly.  "Hi, Duo."

"Hey babe!" he piped up, causing Tensei to writhe under the gaze of the curious dancers who were close enough to hear him.  "What'cha doin'?"

Tensei allowed the faintest of an amused laughter, although forced, escape her throat.  "I'm just enjoying myself at the party."

Duo crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head stubbornly.  "You're bored, and you know it."

"No, I'm really not-" She wasn't allowed to finish as Duo took her glass from her hands and abandoned it on a nearby table, then ushered her onto the dance floor.

"Come on, babe!  You need to party!"

"But… Duo…" She really didn't feel very sociable right now, and dancing was at the bottom of her list of things she wanted to be doing.  "Don't you have a date?" she asked hopefully, praying that he would suddenly remember and whisk himself back off to Hilde. 

He shook his head.  No such luck.  "She's doin' that make-up thing again.  I'll tell ya, Tensei, you women really confuse me.  Have to keep putting all this goop on your faces."

Tensei had to admit that despite the melancholy that prevailed in her being right now, Duo's light teasing seemed to cheer her up a bit.  "Don't even bother, Duo…"

The man frowned to match that of the girl in front of him.  He had to do something.  Casting his gaze over to Quatre, he grinned.  He just might pull this off!  It only took a few more minutes for Duo to strategically maneuver himself and his captive to the other side of the room, before intentionally doing a replay of his previous spill, coincidentally dropping Tensei right into the unexpected arms of Quatre.  The braided man just stood up and laughed nervously.  "Clumsy me!" he looked behind him and grinned, "There's my date!  Catch ya later!  You two have fun now, kay?"  Without another word, he disappeared into the crowd.

Tensei couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks, but even she couldn't tell if it was from annoyance, or embarrassment.  "Ano… hi." She greeted as cheerfully as possible.

Quatre just smiled and subconsciously and, whether out of politeness or habit, lead her back out to the dance floor.  "Good evening, Miss Tensei." He smiled slightly.

The young woman just managed to laugh a little, silently promising to kill Duo for doing this.  She didn't feel like talking to anyone.  "Quatre… how many times have I told you?"

He laughed, smiling brightly.  "Hai hai… Tensei."  He expected her to at least smile back, but when she didn't, it confirmed his suspicions.  Narrowing his eyes in concern, he spoke softly now, "Tensei, are you all right?"

"Of course!  Why wouldn't I be?" Without even giving him a chance to verbalize any of his thoughts, she went right to her defense.  "The war is over, Akki and Master U are dead… and I can get on with my life! Why wouldn't I be all right?"

Quatre's eyes seemed to bore down into hers as they reflected the pain that he felt from her because of his space heart.  "You're lying."

Tensei frowned, suddenly growing distant.  She didn't like it when people could read her mind, her soul… It terrified her.  "Accusing me of lying will help?" she asked, surprised by the sarcasm that she didn't usually use.

Quatre stopped immediately and lead her to the side of the room, away from the music and dancing people.  "Tensei…" he sighed and leaned back against the wall, "I'm not going to make you tell me what's bothering you, but I'm going to make you understand that I AM here for you, okay?" his words possessed a certain sincerity that Tensei had never before heard from someone other than Musha.  

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again.  You're my friend, so let me be yours, okay?"

Tensei just sighed and lowered her head.  "Hai… arigato…"

They danced for the rest of the night.  No words were exchanged, they were just two friends, enjoying each others' presence.

And Tensei knew that this would be the last time…

~*~*~*~*~

Don't try then 

You're never gonna win

~*~*~*~*~

Musha yawned and stretched her arms high in the air as she sleepily made her way out of her bedroom.  She glanced quickly up at the clock on the wall.  11:30.  Wow… well, it had been a late night.  The party lasted until about three AM.

Peering into the kitchen, Musha noted that Tensei was not yet awake.  With an almost evil grin, she stalked into the other girl's bedroom to wake her up, but was surprised to find the bed neatly made, and empty, all except for a small piece of paper with neat handwriting on it, resting lightly on the pillow.  Musha immediately snatched it into her hand and her eyes went wide as she began to read.  "Masaka!  Tensei-chan!"

She quickly pulled on a coat and ran out of the house as quickly as her legs could carry her.

~*~*~*~*~

Part of me the starlight - starlight 

There's a magical feeling - so right 

It will steal your heart tonight

~*~*~*~*~

Tensei sighed as she glanced around at the crowded airport.  It all seemed like a dream, a long, horrible dream.  She wasn't sure exactly what parts of her life she could classify as dream, and what parts she could classify as reality, but right now, it didn't matter.  All she knew was that she had to leave.

She had had plenty of time to think in the last few weeks.  Reflect on the events of her life.  She had always had a deep yearning to one day learn her true identity.  She had always felt certain that once their missions were complete, she would some how, some way figure it out.  But everything was over now, and she still knew nothing.  If anything, she was more confused than before.

She glanced down at her watch.  Ten more minutes until her flight would start boarding for Tokyo.  She was certain that she could find a job there.  It would be hard, having no records or certified education, but she would figure something out.  

Tensei sighed and closed her eyes, losing herself in memories of the past until a hand placed upon her shoulder caused her to jump.  She opened her eyes, and bit down on her lip when she saw Musha.  "You're up early…" was all that she could manage.

Musha shook her head in disbelief, taking a seat beside her friend.  "Tensei… what are you doing?  You can't leave!"

"Why not?" Tensei looked down to her lap, shrugging slightly, "You seemed to be fine with leaving a few days ago, now why can't I?"

"Because!" Musha threw her arms up in the air, "I realized that there are people here who care for me!  I have you, and the Preventers… and Wufei."

Tensei couldn't help but smile at her friend's words.  So Musha finally admitted that Wufei was more to her than just one of the Preventers.  She had someone now… she didn't need her anymore.  "Musha…" she sighed and settled deeper into her seat, "You're right.  You have so many wonderful things here for you, Musha, and that's why you should stay."

"But, Tensei!" Musha sighed in exasperation, "You don't understand!  If you leave me, I'll be all alone!"

"You have Wufei…" Tensei added quietly, "And he'll take care of you, Musha…"

Musha shook her head as tears formed in her eyes.  "Tensei… why?"

The other girl just smiled sadly.  "Musha… you know who you are.  But I, I don't.  I need some… some kind of closure.  I don't know how I can explain it to you… all I know is that I need to do this."

Musha wrung her hands together tightly and finally allowed her defeat.  Tensei was stubborn, and she knew that there would be no way of talking her out of this.  She knew now that all she could do was make the best of it.  "When will you be back?" Her voice came out as a tired whisper as she accepted the cruel fate that had just presented itself to her.

"I don't know…" Tensei blinked away her own tears, trying to close her heart off from the pain that she was feeling right now.  She had to just let go…

Musha just nodded and bit down on her tongue to keep from crying.  She had never imagined life without Tensei.  Like she said many years ago, they were born together, and they would die together.  "Will you keep in touch?"

"No."  Tensei's voice was harsh and almost cruel this time, but Musha knew that she was saying it in such a way to strengthen herself.  "I can't, Musha.  You know that if I did, I would come back here at the drop of a hat.  The only way to stay strong is to completely cut myself off."

Musha just nodded in bitter understanding, and reached over, taking her friend's hand into her own.  "So… this is the day that we die, ne?"

Tensei couldn't help but smile only slightly, glad to see that her friend was accepting her decision.  "Hai… this is the day that we die, together."  They embraced for a long moment, before exchanging a last teary glance.  

"Take care, Tensei."

"Sarabada…"

That said, Tensei slung her bag over her shoulder and walked silently towards her gate, not even noticing as a small slip of paper fell form her bag.

Musha watched her friend disappear from sight then turned to leave, herself when she too, noticed the paper.  She bent down and picked it up, clutching it in her hand as she read.  It was a receipt for her plane ticket, and she smiled, feeling somewhat reassured that Tensei would be all right, especially now that she knew where her friend would be.  "Tokyo is a wonderful place, Tensei.  Enjoy yourself and be happy… you deserve it."

~*~*~*~*~

Musha sat silently in the passenger's seat of Wufei's car as they drove through the streets of the Sanq Kingdom.  She didn't feel like talking, so Wufei turned on the radio, hoping that the soothing power of music would help her in some way.  

She told everyone all about what happened once she got back, but all agreed to leave Tensei alone in Tokyo.  They knew that establishing any kind of communication would only hurt her.

 Musha was having a hard time dealing with the separation from her sister, so Wufei decided to take her away for a bit.  They had only been driving for about an hour when exhaustion finally took over, and Musha slept soundly. 

He sighed to himself, keeping his eyes on the road, when the song on the radio ended, and the voice of a reporter came on.

"In a special news report, this morning's flight 4253 from the Sanq Kingdom to Tokyo, Japan experienced mechanical malfunctions and crashed earlier this morning.  Rescue workers are busy looking for survivors, but the chances of anyone surviving such a crash are grim, says volunteer worker, Lt. Lucretia Noin."

Wufei's blood froze in his veins.  That was Tensei's flight.  Of all that could ever happen… He pulled over to the side of the road and glanced down at the sleeping girl beside him.  She was still asleep.  

He leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on her cheek.  'I won't wake her…' he thought to himself, 'Because Tensei is alive in her dreams… I'll let her have all the time that she can… Gomen nasai, Musha… I couldn't protect you…'

~*~*~*~*~

You can try to resist 

Try to hide from my kiss 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

Deep in the dark 

You'll surrender your heart 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

No, you can't fight it

~*~*~*~*~

The young girl woke up once more in an all too familiar place.  She remembered so well… The strange, empty room.  She ran a small hand across her cheek and realized that she was crying.  Crying?  But… she never cries… 

This all seemed so familiar… like… it had happened before.  She looked over to the other bed in the room, for some reason expecting to find another little girl sitting there.  But it was empty…

"What's happening?" she whispered to herself.  She had been here before, she was sure of it, but… she knew nothing else.  Nothing of her past, or even who she was.  But why did this feel so familiar?  And why did she feel so alone?

She wasn't sure… but something in her heart caused her to throw herself down and begin to sob.  She was only there for a moment before a small hand was placed on her shoulder.  

"Shhh…" another voice soothed, "Don't cry.  You're all right."  Those words.  They were so familiar… hadn't she said them before?  Musha looked up to see another small girl in front of her, but unlike herself, who was bruised and bleeding, this girl was clean, and lively.  As if she wasn't of this earth.

"Who are you?"

The other girl just smiled and shook her head.  "That is of no importance."  She took her hand and led her to the window, motioning for her to look outside.  There, she saw a small boy, about her age, kicking and punching at the air as best his young limbs would allow.  

"I'm confused."

"Samantha…" the other little girl answered her, "I have to go now.  But he will stay with you, okay?"

Samantha turned around quickly to reply, but when she did, the other girl was gone.  She heard a resounding "Sarabada" and shook her head.  

'It must have been an illusion…' She turned her attention back to the little boy, who had since moved his gaze to her.  Deep violet met with dark obsidian, the unspoken words offering immeasurable comfort.

Only a moment, did Musha awaken from her dream.  As her eyes opened, her violet orbs met with the same obsidian as in her dream.  She felt something dreadful in the air, but the comfort that she felt in her dream still remained.

She knew that she was going to be all right.

~*~*~*~*~

You can try to resist 

Try to hide from my kiss 

But you know 

Don't you know that you can't fight the moonlight

Deep in the dark 

You'll surrender your heart 

But you know 

But you know that you can't fight the moonlight 

No, you can't fight it 

It's gonna get to your heart

~*~*~*~*~

Author's Notes:  Okie!!!  How did y'all like it?  Please say yes!  ^^*  Okie okie…  We're already working on a sequel.  XD  Yep yep!  Even after killing off my favorite character.  * sniffles*  Okie… We'll post credits & thanks this afternoon.  * HuGz minna*


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